FARM

MANAGEMENT
HANDBOOK
SECTION C: CROP PRODUCTION

Compiled by S. CHIKOBVU

AGRIBUSINESS AND MARKETING

Edited By F. Gamu and S. Mangena

Agronomy
 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNICAL AND EXTENSION
SERVICES
(AGRITEX)

APRIL 2008

CHAPTER 1: FIELD CROPS.............................................................................................3

Coffee (Coffee arabica)........................................................................................................3
Cotton................................................................................................................................23
GROUND NUT PRODUCTION......................................................................................27
Sunflower...........................................................................................................................28
Bambara Groundnut...........................................................................................................30
Cowpea Production............................................................................................................32
Rice....................................................................................................................................34
Sorghum production..........................................................................................................35
Millet..................................................................................................................................39
Finger Millet......................................................................................................................42
Winter Wheat production...................................................................................................44
Oats....................................................................................................................................49
Maize.................................................................................................................................54
Soyabean Production.........................................................................................................58
Sugar Cane Production......................................................................................................62
Tobacco..............................................................................................................................65
Sweet Potato Production....................................................................................................88
Horticulture........................................................................................................................90
Planting Calendar for Vegetables.......................................................................................90
Carrots (Daucus carota......................................................................................................91
Cabbage.............................................................................................................................93
Onion Production...............................................................................................................97
Tomato Production...........................................................................................................100
Okra.................................................................................................................................104
Garlic...............................................................................................................................106
Strawberry Production.....................................................................................................108
Pepper Production............................................................................................................111
Tsunga Production...........................................................................................................112
Potato Production.............................................................................................................114
Green Beans.....................................................................................................................120
Production of Oyster Mushrooms....................................................................................129
Hypericum Production/ Flowers......................................................................................133
Citrus Cultivation.............................................................................................................135
Apiculture........................................................................................................................139
 CHAPTER 1: FIELD CROPS
Coffee (Coffee arabica)
Varieties

Variety Growth habit characteristics

SL28 Normal open growth Drought hardy and yields high quality
SL34 Normal open growth Yields good quality coffee and more suitable
to high altitude
K7 Normal open growth and Less susceptible to several races of leaf rust
more vegetative and tolerant to dry conditions
caturra Dwarf and more dense and Drought tolerant and produces lower quality
vegetative in cooler areas bean.
Mundo open growth habit Cross from Mundo Nova. Late maturing and
Nova can tolerate drought conditions
Catimor Semi dwarf A variety resistant to coffee berry disease.
Catuai Semi dwarf Cross from Mundo Nova. Late maturing and
Yellow can tolerate drought conditions
Other promising varieties include SL9, KE20, KP432, K33, 119/4, 900/10.
.Length of season
 First crop is obtained 2½ to 3 years after planting.
 One can harvest 5 to 6 crops depending on the growth rate. Rejuvenation is
needed after first crop cycle of 7 to 8 years. Second cycle may last 6-8 years.
 The maximum desirable extension of the crop is up to the 3rd cycle.
Stages of growth
Plant seed to emergency Up to 6 weeks
Emergency to transplanting 6- 8 weeks
Nursery growing before transplanting 10- 12 months
Field transplanting to first flowering 14 –20 months (for fly crop)
Subsequent flowering between September 1 or 2 main flowering plus 1 or 2 minor
and November each year flowerings
Flowering to ripe cherry 6 to 8 months
Period of harvest 2 to 6 months
Nursery practices
Seed:
 Coffee seed is provided by approved seed producers during July to November
each year.
 Quantity of seed required depends on population required. Aim for 5 000
plants/ha allowing for 20% discard.
Site Selection
 Warm situation, frost free, sheltered from wind, convenient for supervision and
adequate clean water is the best site.
Soil
 Light textures, fertile and friable. Avoid capping, saline, vlei type soils. Heavier,
compacting type soils may require mixing up with up to 50% river sand and manure
pH (CaCl2) 4,5 to 5,5)
 Choose eelworm free, virgin soil. Potting soil should be screened through a course
sleeve.
Fertilizer
 Compound S (6:17:6) mixed with potting soil at 3kg/m3 soil.
 Composted coffee pulp manure at rate of 9%by weight is a good substitute for
fertilizer (used in pot filling).
Plant containers
 Open-end polythene sleeves or containers with closed but perforated bottoms.
 Dimensions; lay flat 15-20cm wide and 20cm long (height).
Pot filling
 Funnel with spout same size as the diameter of the sleeve/pot fitted over the
sleeve.
 Soil is poured into the sleeve via the funnel.
 Output per labour day is 500 – 800.
Time of sowing
 Normally September to December, in cooler areas it is better to sow earlier in the
season (September to October).
Nursery construction
 Requires wiring, roof two metres high. Cover sides and roof with a thin layer of
thatch grass or reeds to provide 50% shade. Leave bottom side open to allow cold
air drainage.
 Alternative shading of a narrow shade ban about 1m above each bed of pots. Beds
of pots dimension 1,5m wide.
Seed Treatment
 Against Furasium Lateritrium 1g Benomyl 50 WP per 1kg coffee seed.
 Treat 1 to 5 kg of seed at a time by shaking in a half filled plastic bag.
 Plant directly afterwards.
Nursery Management
Sowing
 Sow 2 to 3 seeds per pot about 5cm apart. Place seed 0,5cm below surface flat
side down.
Mulch the pots.
Watering
 Watering every 2 or 3 days until germination.
 Watering techniques include handled hose with fine oblong rose head, overhead
micro jet pattern, and perforated pipe.
Mulching
 Place fine fibrous mulch to a depth of 5cm over pots until emergency.
 Thin out the mulch and finally remove it when cotyledons emerge.
Thinning
Done at 12 weeks and leave 2 plants per pot.

Shade
Commence thinning of root shade 3 to 4 months prior to planting out.
Completely remove shade 6 to 8 weeks before planting out.

Pest control
 Avoid chemicals where ever possible.

Disease control
Disease Control
Fusarium (bark disease) & 200g Captafol 80WP per 100litres water
Cercospora (Leaf blotch) drenched at weekly intervals after emergency
Leaf rust / Cercospora 300g Copper Oxychloride 50WP /100litres water
at 14 to 28days intervals
Fertilisation
Apply all nutrients only after first pair of leaves appear.
Symptom Fertilizer
Pale leaves 30g AN in 20litres water drenched on by can and
thoroughly watered afterwards to avoid burning
Potash deficiency 20g AN + 50g K2SO4 in 20litres of water applied on plants
when watered
High pH Solubor (20%B) 40g in 20litres of water applied evenly to
foliage.
Transplanting
Spacing between rows
 This is determined by variety, irrigation methods layout and machinery used.
 Plant populations of 5 000/ha give maximum yield.
In row spacing and arrangement
A final spacing of 2 to 3m is desirable

Fertiliser requirements
General fertiliser recommendations for irrigated coffee
Plantation Nutrients kg/ha Suggested Time of application kg/ha
age fert
N P2O5 K2O Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Year of 100 80 100 Comp S 400
planting Comp J 57 57 57 57 57 57 57
AN 55
2nd year 110 40 230 Comp J 75 75 75 75 75 75 75
AN 30 30
3rd year and 180 40 230 SSP 215
following AN 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 65
ratooning M/P 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
 Or Comp J 200 150 150 150 150
AN 60 60 60
M/P 60 60
4th and 270 90 560 SSP 300
subsequent AN 200 190 150 150 130
years MoP 100 100 100 100 100 100
Or Comp J 225 225 225 225 225 225 225 225
General fertiliser recommendations for dry land coffee
Plantation age Time of application kg/ha
Suggested Annual rate Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
fert kg/ha
Year of planting Comp S 300 300
Comp J 200 50 50 50 50
AN 45 45
2nd year Comp J 600 75 75 75 75 75 75 75
AN 50 25 25
3rd year and Comp J 800 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
following AN 126 63 62
ratooning KCl 110 55 55
4th and Comp J 1200 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160
subsequent Comp J 1800 225 225 225 225 225 225 225 225
years Comp J 1125 225 225 225 225 225
AN 300 100 100 100
KCl 225 75 75 75

For diagnostic Norms of leaf analysis of the 3rd or 4th pair leaves refer to the table below
Nutrient Optimum range
Nitrogen % 2,5 –3,0
Phosphorus % 0,10 –0,20
Potassium % 1,50 – 2,50
Sulphur % 0,10 –0,20
Calcium 0,70 – 1,50
Magnesium % 0,20 –0,40
Iron ppm 50 –150
Manganese ppm 50 –150
Copper ppm 5 –40
Zinc ppm 10 –30
Boron ppm 30-50
 The correct use of these optimum ranges will ensure that nutrition is not a
limiting factor in coffee production.
 The ranges can also be used to identify excessive use of fertilizer.
Liming
Required below pH levels of 4, 6. The ideal pH range is 4, 8 to 5, 3 CaCl2.
Trace elements
Boron- foliar spray 0, 5% solution Solubor, toxic in excess.
Zinc Oxide at rate 3kg/ha with a spreader.

Soil and leaf sampling

 Soil samples should be taken well before growing coffee seed to ensure that
correct amounts of lime or phosphates are added to the soil.
  Leaf samples are taken once the trees start cropping in August or September
before fertiliser for the next season is applied.

Instructions for taking leaf samples

Method of sampling
1. Sample the 3rd and 4th pair of leaves from a bearing branch. Do not count the
terminal pair of leaves if they are less than 2 cm long. Wherever possible take
perfect disease free leaves.
2. Take 4 pairs of leaves from each tree and sample at least 10trees (minimum 80
leaves).
3. Sampled leaves should be immediately placed in a polythene bag and labelled on
the outside.
4. Soil samples should be taken at the same time.

Irrigation requirements
Overhead irrigation systems are no longer recommended in coffee production. Under tree
irrigation which includes drip offer the following advantages over overhead systems used
in coffee:
 Less water is required especially during early establishment period. Savings of
between 30 to 40% have been achieved without any detrimental effects to crop.
 Low power required.
 The effects of poor quality irrigation water e.g. bicarbonate are reduced.
 Fungicides and insecticides are not washed of the leaf surface by irrigation.
 Weed growth in the inter row is reduced hence the cost of weed control are reduced.
 Compaction caused by pickers and droplet action from irrigation is reduced.
 Very difficult to change hence during drought years coffee is likely to receive the
irrigation when it needs it most.
 Will not cause drainage problems as with overhead irrigation on certain soils.
 Costs of scheme are lower in the long run.
 There is a lower rate of disease incidences.

Estimates of Et/Eo ratio for mature coffee plantation

Over tree sprinkler irrigation Et/EO
a) Mulched inter row 0.65
b) Clean cultivated inter rows 0.75
Under tree basin or trickle
a) Mulched inter row 0.45
b) Clean cultivated inter rows 0.60
Microject irrigation
a) Mulched inter row 0.60
b) Clean cultivated inter rows 0.65

Estimates of water requirements

Over tree sprinkler Under tree drip basin or trickle
Northern Mashonaland Net (mm) Gross (mm) Net (mm) Gross (mm)
April 100 115 60 70
May 90 100 60 70
June 85 95 55 60
July 100 115 70 75
August 130 150 90 95
September 185 200 115 130
October 210 250 130 150
November 150 170 100 110
Total 1050 1195 680 760
Chipinge
April 80 95 50 55
May 70 85 45 50
June 105 120 70 80
July 75 85 50 55
August 100 115 60 65
September
October 150 170 95 110
November 135 150 85 100
715 820 455 515

Estimated of the irrigation system capability required to prevent excessive water stress in
the peak use period
Northern Mashonaland mm/month
Overhead, tree sprinkler irrigation Net Gross
a) Mulched 180 220
b) Clean cultivated 215 250
Under tree basin drip or trickle irrigation
a) Mulched 140 155
b) Clean cultivated 160 175
Chipinge
Overhead, tree sprinkler irrigation
a) Mulched 140 155
b) Clean cultivated 160 190
Under tree basin drip or trickle irrigation
a) Mulched 100 110
b) Clean cultivated 100 120

Mulching

 Large yields advents have been obtained from mulching coffee on a field scale
without shade.

Physical benefits
 Reduces soil erosion.
 Improves soil moisture aeration.
 Builds up on soil fertility.
 Suppress weeds.
 Reduces soil temperature.

Disadvantages
 Harbours pests.
 Increases frosts hazards.
 Increases fire hazards.

Mulching requirements
 Mature coffee – complete 38/ha/year alternate row 19t/ha/year.

Mulching materials
 Indigenous grasslands- 6t/ha, crop residues soya bean, wheat, and maize cultivated,
Napier grass in well-fertilised fields – 50- 75 t/ha.
Intercropping
 Coffee can be intercropped with beans, tobacco, potatoes, and maize but in the first
year.
Pruning and rejuvenating
 Free growth of the tree is recommended. Regular pruning is not advisable on 2
accounts
I. Very often results in poor productivity
II. Some of the techniques e.g. single stem system of pruning is labour intensive
 Any part cut must be sprayed or smeared with Captafol to prevent infection by
Fusarium.

Rejuvenation
 Coffee will be out of production in 1 to 2 years
 Rejuvenation should be done when crop expectation for the coming season is low
 For best results rejuvenation should be done during September and not later than
October.
 In cooler areas it can be done after 6 crops where as in warmer areas it may be after 4
crops.
Forms of rejuvenation
1. Parrot perched all primary branches cut back to leave 2 or 3 nodes from main
stem
2. Ratoon tree back to 50cm above ground level
3. Capped trees- usually done to 2m above ground level and then ratooned 2 years
later.
The suckers, which subsequently develop, should be progressively thinned out to leave
the required number.
Weed control
Way of controlling weeds
 Hand cultivation / hand pulling
 Mechanical cultivation
 Mulching (mulching suppress weeds)
 Herbicides

Recommended Herbicides and application rates

Trade name Target weeds Appl rate /ha time Remarks
(technical name)
 Gramoxone Most annual 1.5 – 4litres/ha Post emergent Spray directly at any
(Paraquate weeds) weeds contact with foliage.
Avoid contact with foliage
and immature bark. Apply
as often as possible in
clean water
Simazine 80wp Most annual 1.5- 3,5 kg/ha Pre emergent Any time after
(Simazine) weeds transplanting. Mix with
paraquat for a post
emergent effect.
Gardoprim 80wp Annual weeds 3.5-4.5litres Pre emergent As above
(Teruthylazine
Gardomil 500fw Annual weed 5- 6.5litres/ha Pre emergent Anytime after
(Teruthylazine + transplanting
metalochlor
Gesapax (Ametryn Annual weeds 6.5litres Pre emergent, Not for young coffee, do
weeds) early emergent not apply in drip zone and
split application may be
done 6weeks apart
Ametryn 80wp Annual weeds 4kg
(Ametryn500)
Diuron 80wp Annual weeds 2-5.0kg Pre emergent, Not for young coffee,
(Diuron weeds) post emergent avoid drip zone up to 2
years
Dual 720 ec Annual grasses 1.5-2.5litres Pre emergent Anytime after suppression
(Metalochlor) of transplanting
Fusillade Roundup All annual and 1.6litres Post emergent Avoid all crop contact. No
(Glyphosate) perennial weeds wetter needed. Best
results in low volume high
concentration clean water
essential
MSMA 80wp Nustedges, some 3litres Anytime after Spot spray as required in
annual broad transplanting hot dry weather. Avoid all
leafed weeds and crop contact. 2
grasses applications needed for
nustedges control
Basafapon Dowpon Many grasses 5.5 –7.7kg Post emergent Not in root zone for crops
Gramevin (Dalapon) including couch, under 2 years. Repeat
spear start grass after 12weeks if necessary
and kikuyu
Cotoran 80wp Many annual Pre emergent, Apply to clean soil
(Fluometuron) broad leafed residual
weeds and some
grasses
Coffee Pest identification
Pest Damage and symptoms Identification in field When to treat
Leaf miner very Leaf miners causes Eggs: almost invisible About a week after
common and irregular brown Larvae: white caterpillar 4-8mm long appearance of moth.
important blotches and sever leaf Pupa: H shaped white cocoon around 6mm long However if active
drop on underside of leaves mines are seen spray
Adult: small white moth about 3mm long. immediately
Nocturnal. Best seen towards evening by
disturbing ‘skirts’ of trees
Antestia Bug Blackening and Eggs: White. In groups of about 12 in underside When average
Quite common shedding of flower beds of leaf. population of adults
Very important and immature berries. Nymphs: 5 nymphal stages representing adults plus nymphs exceeds
Rotting of beans but more rounded and without functional wings. 1 per tree.
Adult: Shield shaped bug. About 6.5mm long.
Brown and white and orange markings.
Common Looper Leaf-eating causing Eggs: Singly on underside of leaf. Sea urchin When insignificant
Not common severe reduction in leaf shape. Pale yellow-green with fine radial ribs ± numbers of eggs are
Very serious area. 0.6mm. noted – the larger
Larva: Green looper without hair, up to 35mm, 3 caterpillars are very
pairs thoracic legs and 3 pairs abdominal legs. difficult to control.
White line through spiracles and series of white
lines running down the back.
Red Tortix Feeds on green berries, Eggs: Yellow orange flattered. Groups of ±230 Spray at first
Green Tortix leaves and shoot tips on upper surface, overlapping like fish scales. indication. Spot
Occasional pest and can act as a tip Egg masses about 12mm wide. spraying may be
borer. Larvae: Green tortix is green with black head sufficient. Important
Causes berry damage and thoracic shield. to control before
and drop. Makes silken Red tortix is reddish brown with dark brown larva enters berries.
nests between young stripes. Skeletonizes leaf within nest. Cherries
leaves or within dusters bored out and lined with silk.
of flowers or cherries.
Berry moth Berry clusters webbed Eggs: Scale like. Single. Soon after main
occasional pest together. On or near green berries. flowering if
One or more brown, dry Larva: Reddish caterpillar up to 12mm. Bores indicated, re-spray 5-
and hollow. into berries near stalk and joins cluster of berries 6 weeks later.
together with web while feeding.
Systates weevil Adult beetles feed on Adult: Black beetle, flightless, snorted about When nurseries or
Common Lesser leaf margins causing 12mm long. Feed at night and shelter during young transplants are
pest characteristic day. affected. Not normal
indentations. to treat older trees.
White borer Yellowing of foliage – Eggs: inserted beneath bark, about 45cm from On routine basis, just
Insidious often part of tree only – ground. prior to start of
Serious locally Wood shavings Larva: Bore under the bark downwards finally seasonal rains.
extruding from stem penetrating the wood from below ground. Makes
base where bark is a chamber within base of trunk.
severely channelled or Papa: Pupation 2-4 months within stem
ring barked. chamber.
Round emergence holes Adult: Beetles ± 30mm emerge from exit hole.
of adults in lower trunk. Brown with white markings. Male has very long
antennae.
Stinging Leaf eating Eggs: In groups. Before significant of
Caterpillar Stinging field workers. Overlapping like tiles. On lower leaf surface. leaf area or if
lesser pest Greenish yellow. irritation to workers
Larvae: Attractively coloured. Young larvae becomes real
mainly white becoming green. Covered with nuisance.
tubercles bearing stinging ‘hairs’.
Jelly Grub Leaf eating Eggs: White, scale like, laid singly on both sides Before significant
of leaf. loss of leaf area.
Larva: Slug like, bluish-green up to 13mm long.
Mealy Bug Mealy white masses of Nymphs/Adults. 3 Nymphal stages. Starts of Preventive:
Occasional insects. Prefer belly with no wax, flat oval and light brown with 6 Annual stem banding
Serious clusters and shady legs. When in feeding position develops and lifting ‘skirts’.
interior. Associated characteristic wax covering. Curative.
with honeydew and Immediate spraying if
sooty mould. observed.
Pest Control
Chemical control
Pest Chemical Code % Dosage/100 Days Application directions
Formulation litres of
water or as
stated
Antestia Fenthion Red 60ec 85ml 21 Full cover spray prior to
blossoming. Repeat after 3
weeks if necessary
Spray prior to main loom
50ec 75ml period and repeat after 14
days.

60sc 80ml 30
Methyl Purple 90sp 30g 28 Apply 1000L/Ha
Parathion Purple 25wp 100g 21 Full cover spray prior to
blossoming or when pest is
noticed. Repeat after 14
days if necessary.

Purple 50ec 50ml 21

Trichlorfon Amber 95sp 100g 10 Full cover spray prior to
blossoming or when pest is
noticed. Repeat after 14
days if necessary.
Ants Chlordane Amber 30ec 40ml - Brush on to trunk of tree
Berry Parathion Purple 25wp 180g 21 Full cover spray
Moth Purple 50ec 90ml 21 Full cover spray
Black borer Mineral oil Green 80ec 3L Drench spray on young
Black/ green stage. Repeat after
brown one month. Do not apply in
Scale low humidity or at
temperatures above 30˚C.
Do not mix with sulphur
formulation.
Cut-worm Endosulfan Purple 35mo 850ml Add 100kg low grade maize
meal.
Moisten with water to obtain
a crubly texture. Apply in
the late afternoon or
evening. Do not apply to
Purple 50wp 625g tobacco lands or cotton.
Phoxim Green 0.5b 10kg/Ha Overall application. Spread
evenly. Not for use on
tobacco lands or cotton.
Band 20-50mm on planting
row. Not for use on tobacco
5kg/Ha lands or cotton.
Trichlofon Amber 25sp 60g/100L 10 Apply 20kg in meal 25L h20
apply before plant
emergence.
Fruit fly Trichlofon Amber 95sp 50g 10 Apply 9kg sugar.
Apply as a course spray
when flowers appear. Repeat
at 7 day intervals and after
rain at 40 l/ha.
Giant Endosulfan Purple 35mo 33l/100l 21 Full cover spray adding
Looper Endosulfan Purple 50wp 2kg/100l 21 Molasses.
Methomyl purple 90sp 620g 28 Apply 1000l/ha.
Green tortix Trichlofon Amber 95sp 200- 10 Full cover spray
Moth larvae 2 000g/ha
Jelly Grub Parathion Purple 25wp 900g 21 Full cover spray
Purple 50ec 450ml 21 Full cover spray
Leaf Miner Deltamethrin Green 2.5ec 300ml Full cover spray
300ml Apply in 1000-2000L
water/ha when moths or
eggs first seen and repeat 28
days later. Max. 2
pyreths/season do not use in
June, July & Aug.
Disulfoton Purple 2.5 30g/m of 90 Apply to base of tree work
5 bush in lightly with shallow
cultivation. Up to 60g/tree.
Fenitrothion
purple 10g 15g/m of
bush
height/cora.
Red 60ec 1.9l 30 Full cover spray at 1 100/ha.
Monocrotophos Repeat after 21 days if
necessary.
Purple 40wsc 1.2l 30 Apply at 500ml/tree adding
10ml wetting agent/100:1
mix
purple 60sc 80ml 30 Add 10ml wetting agent.
Apply 500ml/tree.
Fernvalerate Amber 20ec 300ml 28 Full cover spray when adults
1st noticed. Repeat 28 days
later. 2 sprays per season
June, July 7 Aug.
Parathion Purple 25wp 1.8kg 21 Full cover spray prior to
blossoming at 1 000l/ha.
Repeat at 14 day intervals if
necessary.
Purple 50ec 900ml 21

trichlofon Amber 95sp 1kg 10 Full cover spray

Mealy bug Diazinon Red 20ec 160ml 21 Apply as spot spray when
Carbofuron pest is seen.
Aldicarb Purple 15g Granules 115 10g per cover full cover
Fernvalerate Amber 20ec 15ml 21 spray maximum of 2 sprays
per season.
Red Tortix Trichlofon Amber 95sp 200g up to 10 Full cover spray
Moth larvae max.
2kg/ha.
Stinging Parathion Purple 25wp 180g 21 Full cover spray
caterpillar Purple 80ec 90ml 21
Waxy Scale Mineral oil green 80ec 2.5 1 - Drench spray. Do not mix
with sulphur formulations.
Do not apply at low
humidity or at temperatures
above 30˚ C.
White Borer Chlorpyrifos Red 48ec 700ml/20l + 21 Apply with a paint
15g brush/knapsack onto stems.
methylin Up to 1m above ground
blue level.
Parathion Purple 25wp 4kg 21 Apply mixture to holes just
Purple 50ec 1.8L before the rains.
Cut-worm Deltamethrin Green 2.5ec 120ml Soil drench a 500 l/ha.
Cotton Biological See page 2, April 1980 issue
Looper (C. polyhedral of C.G. A News-Letter or
chalcites) virus Oilseeds Handbook section
Handbook. 9.
Yellow Parathion purple 25wp 4kg 21 Apply mixture to holes.
Headed
Borer
ec - emulsifiable concentrate g - granules
wp - wettable powder sc - soluble concentrate
sp - soluble powder mo - miscible oil

 Minimum number of days between spraying and harvesting.

Diseases
Coffee berry disease (Collectorichum kohowae)
Potentially a very serious disease for coffee in Zimbabwe mostly found in Karoi – Doma
area.
Symptoms:
(a) Flowers dark brown lesions on petals
(b) Green berries small sunken dark brown or black lesions which spread rapidly to cover
the whole berry, destroying the bean. Infected berries may be shed or remain on the
tree in a black mummified condition.
(c) Ripe berries brown sunken lesions with miniature black dots.
(d) Leaves: Brown lesions that are usually confined to the leaf margins.

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF DISEASES

Disease Chemical Code % Dosage/100 l Application directions
Form of water
ulatio
n
Fusarium Bark Benomyl Green 50wp - 1g/kg seed as a dry treatment just before
Disease sowing.
Copper Amber 50wp 500g or Full cover spray +/_ 2 00L/ha will also
oxychloride 10kg/ha control rust and cercospora leaf and berry
blotch.
Leaf Rust Copper Amber 50wp 400ga Repeat at 14 day intervals if the disease is
oxychloride severe otherwise 21-28 day intervals.
Before onset of the rains. Make shallow
trench along drip line and put in granules
then cover back with soil.
Bayfidan 38g

Rust Propiconazole Red 50ec 1 1/ha Full cover spray

Cercispora leaf Copper Amber 50wp 400g Repeat at 14 day intervals if disease is
and berry bloth oxychloride severe otherwise 21-28 day intervals
Coffee Berry Copper Amber 3kg captafol + Full cover spray. spray mix the two
Disease oxychloride 2.5 kg copper chemicals and repeat application every 4
oxychloride weeks.
per ha.

Table showing an intergrated programme for the control of Fusarium bark disease and
leaf rust in different areas of Zimbabwe. Also included are recommendations for
seedlings and seed-bearers.
Area Chemical Month of application
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Eastern Copper . . . . . . . .
Districts oxychloride
captafol . . . . . . . .
Triadimefon(rust . . The two sprays should be six weeks apart and
only) only applied if the is evidence of leaf rust in
August.
Other Copper . . . . . . . .
areas oxychloride
captafol When fusarium becomes established it would be advisable to
apply captafol in December, January and February instead of
copper oxychloride.
Triadimefon Two sprays six weeks apart are required when an outbreak of
(rust only) rust occurs.
* Continue at six weekly intervals if rust is still prevalent.
Material Chemical Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Seed- Captafol . . . . . . . .
Beares
Current seed is produced in areas where no rust is present. 80% wp applied
Seedlings Captafol at weekly intervals using 200g product in 100 litres of water.

Picking, Harvesting
Coffee berries ripen progressively and may be reaped at intervals of seven to fifteen days.
Berries must be reaped evenly at the correct stage of ripening to permit uniform pulping
fermentation and finally quality, bright red for red varieties, deep yellow for yellow
varieties.
Ripening outputs depend on
1. methods of reaping
2. rate of ripening
3. no. cherries/kg

Example of ripening output based on an acceptable labour efficiency level (75%) and an
average of 500 cherries per kilogram.
Method Type of Reaping Output per reaper per
hour
Pocket on reaper Minor reaping (fly pickings)) less than 1kg cherries per 5.5kg
bush.
Pocket on reaper Intermediate reapings, between 1-2kg of cherries per 10.0kg
bush.
Pocket on reaper Main reaping more than 2kg of cherries per bush. 18.5kg

Crop Processing and Drying

Considerations for sitting a pulpery:
(a) direction-NNW- to obtain longest period of winter sun
(b) slope – four to six percent is ideal
(c) water – clean, near source
(d) central to operations
(e) supervision
(f) power source
(g) clean surrounds to avoid tainting of parchment
Stages of processing
(a) cherry grade – 1 Size – screen , 2density – water(siphon tank
(b) Pulp – remove skin – drum or disc pulper. One pulping disc =0.75 – 1.0 tonne
of cherry per hour. See paragraph on ratio by mass.
(c) Pre grade – size screen, density in water
(d) Ferment or aqua pulp – remove mucilage
(e) Wash by hand or coffee pump; remove fermented mucilage only.
(f) soak – under water which gives a bleaching action
(g) channel grade based on density of coffee in water
(h) dry parchment – sun or artificial
(i) store
Approximate water requirements of four different pulperies
Type of pulpery Water required per tonne of Green Coffee
Pre and post washing channel 100m3
Aagard with no re-circulation 75m3
Aagard with partial recirculation 50m3
Aagard with full re-circulation 25m3

Drying Coffee
(a) Sun drying on table racks
Drying table dimension is 1.2m wide by 36m long at waist height.
Approx table requirement for area yielding 2.5t/ha, drying period 20 days,
25mm deep on tables per ha.
(b) Artificial Drying Stages in Approx. bean moisture content

Coffee Drying %
i. skin drying
remove all free water 49 – 45
ii. Main drying
Whitish colour beans 44 – 30
 Soft black 29 –22
Medium black 21 – 16
Hard black 15 – 12
Grey blue fully dried 12 – 10
Yellow green over dry 10

Drying Procedure
 Skin dry as soon as possible by higher rate of drying – ventilation rate
0.25m3/sec/m2 of dryer bed area through a bed depth of 150mm of fully wet
parchment at an air temperature of 35˚ C for a period of not exceeding 24 hours.
 To soft black stage (22 percent moisture), dry at a slower rate as moisture is
drawn from within the bean. Advantageous to allow ‘rest’ periods between
ventilation, e.g. at drying at 30˚C for 12 hours and ‘rest’ for 12 hours.
 Final stages of drying to hard black stage (11.5 percent moisture) continual drying
at 35 – 380˚C.

Approximate ratio by mass of forms of coffee:

Cherry : Parchment : Green Coffee

5 : 1 : 0.8
or 6.25 : 1.25 : 1.0

Considerable variation can occur in these ratios depending on the season, the age of
coffee and the state of the coffee plantation.
Description of the forms of coffee:
 Cherry Coffee – as picked ripe red from the tree:
 M’Buni Coffee – dried with skin, despatched to GMB at 10.5 percent moisture
content.
 Parchment Coffee – After pulping, fermenting and drying, despatched by farmer
to the GMB in bags 40 to 50kg at 11.5 percent moisture.
 Green Coffee – After hulling at the meal to remove parchment and silver skin.
Repacked n 60kg bags after classification of green coffee. In milling there could
be a 17 – 20 percent weight loss.

Marketing
Standards of Quality and Moisture content:
(a) Washed coffee and green coffee – 11.5 percent max. moisture
(b) Unwashed coffee – 10.5 percent maximum moisture
(c) No extraneous, deleterious or poisonous matter unfit for human consumption.
No extraneous matter liable to damage machinery
Standards of Classification
Packed in sacks of natural or synthetic fibres, not exceeding:

(a) green coffee – 80kg

(b) washed coffee – 43kg
(c) unwashed coffee – 30kg
  Delivery loads of different lots of coffee should be clearly marked to
distinguish each lot for separate classification.
 All sacks should be marked in figures of no less than 70mm in height with
producers number (GMB).
 Sacks should be sewn (do not use lugs) at the mouth in one of the
following ways:
Hand sown with either:
 Good quality double jute twine, or
 Double cotton-rayon twine of minimum breaking strain of 150Newtons, or
 Single cotton-rayon of minimum breaking strain of 300 Newtons. Sew
straight with 25mm stitches across mouth of the sack and leave 100mm
free twine at each without knots.
Machine sewn with cotton/rayon/nylon thread-breaking strain of minimum 80Newtons.
GMB Depots for Coffee: Chipinge, Mutare, Banket.

Standards of Classification and Quality

Green coffee
Class 3 4 5 6 7 9
Maximum number of block coffee beans Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil
Maximum number of diseased coffee-beans 10 20 30 40 - -
Nil 5 10 15 20 -
Maximum number of foxy coffee-beans Nil 5 10 15 30 -
Maximum number of insect damaged coffee-beans
Maximum number of pulper-nipped coffee-beans Nil 5 5 10 - -
Maximum number of stinker coffee-beans Nil Nil 3 5 - -
Maximum number of unhulled coffee-beans Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 12
‘Maximum number’ refers to the number of appropriate coffee-beans found in
working sample.
Levy
At present 1 percent of sales.
Milling
Payment to the grower is based on the mass of net green coffee. The milling losses, from
parchment form to green coffee, vary between 17 and 20 percent. Milling losses between
M’Buni form and green coffee are between 47 and 50 percent.
Insurance
See chapter on insurance in Finance section of this handbook. There is no insurance
against frost damage.
Labour and Fuel Requirements
Labour days per ha
Operations of coffee
(not nursery area)

i. Nursery
Digging holes for uprights placing
Uprights and refilling holes, place cross members and wire
1.08
for shade support (L) 0.01
Treat uprights (L) 0.15
Cut materials for nursery shade (L) 0.60
Transport shade material (D + 6) 0.15
0.60
Cut materials for nursery shade (L)
0.15
Transport shade material (D + 6) 0.15
Load trailer with shed material (D + 6)
Unload trailer, place shed material (L) 3.15
Digging potting material, loading trailer, transport and 12.50 (one final plant
unload (D + 3) per pot)
Filling pots 10mm3 of potting mix/ha of coffee grown (L)
Planting seeds (L) 17.60
4.40
Unloading (L) 4.62
Sorting coffee plants in nursery rior to planting (L)
Water, weeding, thinning, spraying etc. 9.13
(One permanent worker in nursery for twelve months (L)

L= General worker D= Driver

D+3= Driver and three general workers F= Foreman

Labour and Fuel Requirements

Operations Labour days per ha of coffee
ii. Field Operations Standard Dwarf
a) Plantation varieties varieties
Marking plant stations (Checkrow basis) (L) 1.50 1.65
Digging planting holes (F + 12) 30.61 60.02
Refilling planting holes (F + 12) 2.68 5.25
1.27 1.94
Applying pre-planting fertilizer (F + 12) 1.25 2.45
Mix fertilizer and topsoil (F + 12) 11.87 15.87
Trailer loading with young plants, unloading and
planting (F + 12) 5.12 5.12
Cut mulch material (F + 6) 8.75 8.75
Load trailer with mulch material, transport
6.20 12.76
unload (D + 6) 12.85 12.85
Spread mulch in land (L) 9.64 9.44
Topdressing year 1 8.80 9.21
Year 2 8.80 9.21
Year 3(SSP. AN.M/P) cost of 16.10 17.23
12.00 12.84
 Alternative year 3 (J. AN. M/P) fertilizer 2.66/occasion 2.66/occasion
Year 4(SSP. AN. M/P) (4-6 (4-6
sprays/annum) sprays/annum)
Alternative year 4(J) method
Spraying: (With herbicide extreme care is needed. 3.66/occassion 3.66/occasion
Different spray tanks essential for insecticides and 1.58/occasion 1.54/ocassion
herbicides)
7.5

Cultivation (L) (budget for three occasions)

Apply Dysiston (for minor control. 1 x per season
before rains) (F + 12) – For covering see
cultivation.
(b) Coffee pulpery, allow three permanent workers
for 100 days in 180 day picking season (F + 2)
Sorting coffee on drying tables (F + 12) 35.0
Harvesting * (pocket on reaper)
Fly picking, less than 1kg per bush 5.5kg/reaper/hour
Intermediate picking 1-2kg per bush 10.0kg/reaper/hour
Main picking more than 2kg per bush 18.5kg/reaper/hour

Transporting harvested coffee from land to 2.5labour days/ha

pulpery (D) 0.29
Ploughing (D) (actual)
Discing (D) (actual) 0.14

 For budgetary purposes allow 150ld/ha for mature crop.

Labour and fuel requirements

Operations related to Napier fodder Labour days per ha of:
production
Napier Fodder Coffee
Cut Napier fodder for seed purposes 1.89 0.95
(L) (Australia Knife)
1.50 0.75
Remove tops (L) 1.20 0.60
Remove leaves (L) 2.99 1.50
Stack for transport (L) 2.04 1.02
Cut sets (L) 2.45 1.23
Apply fertilizer (F + 12) 2.41 1.21
4.06 2.03
Cover fertilizer (L) 3.14 1.57
Plant Napier Fodder (L) 5.6/occasion 2.8/occasion
Cover sets (L) 2.45/occasion 1.23/occasion
Cultivation (Land) (L) (F +12)
Top-dress (Land) (L) 10.24 5.12
Cutting Napier Fodder for mulch
(Australian Knife. Add14% for knife)
(L)

Operations Litres of fuel per ha of

coffee
(not nursery area)
Fuel consumption Transporting porting soil (flat area) 4.75
(undulating area) 9.50
14.25
(hilly country)
0.20
Transporting shade material for seedbeds 27.0
Ploughing (actual) 9.5
7.50
15.00
Transporting young coffee plants to land (flat area) 21.50
(undulating area)
(hilly country)
Transporting mulch to established coffee (flat area) 11.00
(undulating area) 22.00
33.00
(hilly country)
Transporting harvested coffee from land to pulpery
(based on an average of 1.5 tonnes/ha) 8.75 (total
per annum)
(flat area) 17.50(total per annum)
(undulating area) 25.25(total per annum)
(hilly country) 3.00
General transport of labour etc

Calendar illustrating the normal timing of main events on a coffee farm

Rainy season
frost susceptible
period
Stem extension
growth
Flowering
Harvesting/Pulping
Order seed
Plant seed
Transplant
seedlings into the
lands
*main pruning /
rejuvination
*Handling
*Capping
Moisture sensitive
period
Moisture stress to induce flowering
Fertilizing top dress foliar
Mulching
Scouting for
insects and
diseases
Drieldrin banding
Stem
Spraying for
control of leaf rust
and bark disease

au Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan Feb Ma Apr ma Jun. Jul.

g r y

* Optional depending on the system of tree management chosen.

Cotton
Climatic Requirements
 Cotton requires a growing season of 180 frost-free days (6-7 months).
 The crop requires high temperatures, long sunshine hours and an average rainfall of
600-700mm
 It is mainly grown in Midlands, Mashonaland and Manicaland provinces between
altitudes of 600-1200m and in the South-East Lowveld at the altitudes at 300-600m..
Soil Requirements
 Cotton does better on well drained, fertile soils with a high water holding capacity
and unrestricted depth.
 The optimal pH for cotton production is 5.3-5.5.
Fertilisers
General fertiliser recommendations are :
GOOD SOIL MEDIUM POOR SOIL
SOIL
N Lowveld Irrigated 80kg/ha 100kg/ha 120kg/ha
N Middle veld Irrigated 60kg./ha 80kg/ha 100kg/ha
N Middle veld Dry land 40kg/ha 60kg/ha 80kg/ha
P205 Irrigated 40kg/ha 60kg/ha 80kg/ha
Dryland 20kg/ha 40kg/ha 60kg/ha
K20 Irrigated - 40kg/ha 80kg/ha
Dryland 6 30kg/ha 60kg/ha

 The recommended basal fertiliser is Cottonfert/ Compound L which contains

boron for fruiting.
 Ammonium nitrate or urea is used for top dressing. The top dressing can be given
as a single dressing or split into two given at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after planting..
The amounts of fertiliser applied would be:
On good soils 200 kg (4 bags) of Compound L per ha
100 kg (2 bags) of AN. “

One medium soils 300 kg (6 bags) of Compound L “

150 kg (3 bags) of AN. “
Varieties
 SZ9314 is the variety that is being grown in most of the cotton growing areas.
Land Preparation
 Good land preparation provides a fine tilth.
Planting
 The earliest planting dates are controlled by legislation for the control of the pink
bollworm.
 The earliest dates are 5 and 20 October for the south-east Lowveld and the
remainder of the country respectively.
 For dry land cotton, planting should be done after the first effective rains.
Spacing
 Interrow and intrarow spacing of 100 cm and 30 cm respectively.
 Under marginal growing conditions, the interrow and intra row spacing 90 cm and
20 cm respectively.
Seed Rate
 It is recommended that a seed rate of 20-25 kg/ha on light soils and 35-40 kg/ha
on heavy soil.
 Place 4-8 seeds together in the planting hole and cover to a depth of 20 mm.
Gap Filling
 Gap filling should within 3 to 5 days after emergence.
Thinning
 This is done five days after emergence and must be completed by the time the
crop is three weeks old.
Weed Control
It is important that the cotton crop is kept weed free during the critical stages of its
growth cycle:
 first eight weeks after crop emergence since the crop is most vulnerable to
competition at this stage due to its slow growth rate
 During the picking stage.
The three methods for weed control are:
 Hand hoeing
 Mechanical methods
 Herbicides: The table below gives herbicides which can be used on cotton, and of
three types:
Pre – planting herbicides These are incorporated into the top few millimetres of the
soil before the crop is planted.
Planting herbicides These are incorporated into the seedbed at planting time.
Post emergence herbicides These are sprayed on while the crop is growing; they kill
the weeds without harming the crop.
HERBICIDES
Product Trade Name Time of Weeds Notes
Application Controlled
Trifluralin Treflan, Trif Pre-planting : Mainly Rain or
incorporate 50- monocots; Incl. irrigation not
100mm S.g.* required to
immediately. activate
Nitalin Planavin Pre-planting; Mainly Rain or
incorporate monocots; Incl. irrigation not
only into top S.g.* and some required to
37,5mm of soil dicot activate.
Fluometuron Cotoran 80W At planting Most. Usually Not on sand,
not S.G.* residual effects
Fluometuron Cotoran 80W At planting Most. Usually Not on sand.
not S.G.* Residual effects
M.S.M.A. Rasna Panther Directed spray Most weeds in May have to
Juce Post emergent seedling stage repeat. Do not
apply after 1st
blooms
 S.g. – Shamva grass
DISEASES
Bacterial Blight or Black Arm Diseases:
 This causes dark green marks on the stems and leaves of the plant, and is
sometimes called Angular Leaf Spot.
 This is controlled by using resistant varieties.
Verticillium Wilt:
 This is a fungal disease favoured by cool weather
Fusarium Wilt :
 This is a fungal disease which attacks the plant through wounds in the root
system.
PESTS:
Aphids:
 Small green bugs which are experienced when weather conditions are hot and
dry.
Jassids:
 Small, yellowish-green bugs Their presence is indicated by the initial yellowing
of leaves then reddening (hopper burn) with a slight curling of the leaf edges.
Whiteflies:
 These produce honeydew which causes open cotton to become black.
 Whiteflies are a mid to late season pest.
Red Spider Mite:
 Tiny red dots found on the underside of leaves.
  Leaves mottle on upper surface of leaf, later turn yellow and are shed.
Cotton Stainer:
 Insects are orange-red and black in colour, with long stylet mouth.
 Feeds on seeds and stains lint of immature bolls. The stainers produce a fungus
that stains the lint such that it develops a yellow colour.
 Cotton stainers are a late season pest.
Lygus Beetle:
 Very small brown bugs capable.
 Young leaves show perforations and a ragged edge.
Pink Bollworm:
 The pink coloured larvae attacks the green boll and feeds on the immature seeds.
 Prevention is achieved by destroying all trash from the crop and having a close
season of at least 2 months (66 days).
Red Boll worm:
 Larva has rose – red arrow head markings.
 Internal feeder in bud or bolls; growing points attacked.
 Treat with 85% W.P. Carbaryl.
American Bollworm:
 Larva has dark band along back.
Spiny Bollworm:
 Fleshy tubercles are seen along backs and sparse coarse hairs on all segments.
 It will attack buds and bolls besides tip-boring.
Leaf Eater Caterpillars:
 Perforation of the leaves indicate damage done by these caterpillars.

PEST CONTROL
Scouting is very important in cotton pest control as it ensures the effective use of
pesticides and timely control of the pests.
CHEMICAL CONTROL
 The pesticides used in cotton include conventional insecticides (Carbaryl,
Thiodan and Larvin), synthetic parathyroid and acaricides.
SPRAYING
Spraying can be done by:
 knapsack sprayer
 tractor sprayer, using a boom with 7 or 9 nozzles
 aerial spraying by fixed wing aircraft or helicopter.
 To calculate the amount of the concentrate liquid to use the following formula
can be used :
Amount of spray required x % concentration of active ingredient x 160 = Amount of
concentrate required.The outputs of various spraying methods are:
Method Output
Tractor Sprayer – 7 nozzles 14 ha per day
Tractor Sprayer – 9 nozzles 18 ha per day
Tractor Sprayer – Mist blower 30 ha per day
Knapsack Sprayer 2 ha per day
GROUND NUT PRODUCTION
 Groundnuts are an important oilseed crop. Apart from human consumption it can
also be used as fodder and it generates residual nitrogen.
Two main cultivars are grown in Zimbabwe;
 Long season varieties (150-190 days and short season varieties (100-140 days).
 The most recommended variety is Falcon.
Climatic Requirements
 It requires a frost-free period and the optimum temperature is 25- 35 0 C.
 The crop needs 500-600mm during growing season.
Soil Type
 Requires a deep, well drained soil with pH 5.3- 6.5.

Spacing
 50-75mm in row and 450mm interow and a depth of 50-75mm.
Land Preparation
 Discing should be done followed by deep ploughing and harrowing
Planting
 Planting should be done with first effective rains (Mid Nov to Mid Dec).
 The seeding rate is 80-100kg /ha.
Fertilizer
 Apply 100-300kg of gypsum at pegging stage (50% flowering).
 Well-decomposed farmyard manure should be applied at the rate of 5-10tonnes
/ha one month before sowing and incorporated into soil.
Irrigation
 Maintain optimum soil moisture at flowering and pod formation stages.
 In general, 8-18 irrigations at 15- 20 days after sowing and then 2 nd application,
20-25 days after first irrigation. And subsequent irrigation should be given at 7-10
days intervals.
Weed Control
 The critical period of weed-crop competition is 28-45 days after sowing.
Generally one hand weeding at 30 days and 2 weedings, 15 days afterwards and
35 days later will suffice. It might be necessary to use herbicides such as;

Alachlor - 1.5kg/ha applied as a pre emergence to control most monocots.

Fluchloralin -1.5 kg/ha applied as a preplant to control dicots
Dual -1.5kg/ha applied as a post emergence to control grassy weeds.

Pests And Diseases

PEST DAMAGE CONTROL
 Leaf miner larvae mine into leaves when they hatch from Dimethoate
eggs and then emerge and web adjacent leaflets Monocrotophos
together to give a burnt look from afar

Aphids Nymph and adults suck sap from tender Dimethoate

growing shoots , flowers and pegs causing
stunting and distortion on foliage

Thrips Nymph and adults sack sap from surface of Dimethoate

leaflets causing white patches on upper &
necrotic on lower surface

White grub Feed on rootlets and nodules or tap roots and Carbamates
plants wither and die

Sunflower
(Helianthus Annuus Var. Macrocarpus)
Introduction
 The plant can grow on a wide range of soil types and is therefore grown in many
parts of the country.
 The bulk of the sunflower crop, about 90% is produced by communal area and
small scale farmers.
 Sunflowers are a drought resistant crop that can produce high yields on as little as
410 mm of rainfall provided the soil is moist just before and during flowering
period.
 Sunflowers are suited to region II and region IV and will earn more than maize in
these areas.
 They are mainly planted from mid-November-mid-February.
 Yield levels average between 1.5 t/ha with the November plantings and 0.5 t/ha
with the end of January to February plantings.
Land preparation
 Sunflowers are sensitive to low pH and nematodes.
 Light soils, especially sands should be checked for these factors before planting.
 Ploughing should begin in early November or as soon as the plough will easily
enter the soil. (I.e. after the first rains).
  Ploughing should be done to a depth of at least 150 mm.
 A rough seedbed will cause uneven germination therefore clods should be broken
before planting.
 Weeds should be removed before planting and use ripper tyne every two years.
 The most critical period for moisture is 20 days before flowering, throughout the
flowering stage up to 20 days after flowering.
Plant spacing
 In regions which receive high rainfalls (regions I, II, III) a spacing of 90x 25 cm
is recommended whilst in region IV and V a spacing of 90x 30 cm is also
recommended.
 Planting lines can be made by opening a shallow furrow with ripper tyne. The
seed should be planted 4-5 cm deep.
 6 kg/ha of seed is sufficient if using hybrid or certified seed or up to 8kg for home
retained seed.
Fertilization
 The general recommendation is to use at least 250kg of compound L fertilizer.
This fertilizer should be applied at or before planting.
 A top dressing of 100kg Ammonium Nitrate can be applied 8-10 weeks after
germination.
Weeding
 Mechanical control can be done.
 Under certain circumstances herbicides such as trif, lasso and dual can be used
Pest control
Semi looper
 They consume leaf tissue between the veins. A severe attack can cause
defoliation.
 It can be controlled by use of chemicals such as Trichloforn, Endosulfan or
Carbaryl
African bollworm
 Caterpillar damages the crop by feeding on leaves, tender stems flowers and soft
seed
 .It can be controlled as for semi loopers.
Cutworms
 They feed on young tender foliage near the soil surface and reduce the crop stand.
 They can be controlled using chemicals like trichloforn bait, Endosulfan Bait or
Carbaryl.
Tip wilter
 They feed by sucking the sap and causing plants to wilt and die.
 They can be controlled using chemicals such as Carbaryl and Endosulfan.
Seed Bug
 They feed on developing seed and cause it to shrivel.
 They can also feed on the stem below flower head.
 Control is the same as for tip wilters.
Diseases
Foliar diseases
 Can be controlled by rotation and field sanitation.
  Select resistant varieties
Scleratinia Rot
 Can be controlled by using certified seed.
 Grow in a four year host free rotation and avoid excessive fertilisation.
Harvesting
 The seed is mature when the backs of the heads have turned yellow and the bracts
are turning brown.
 At this point the moisture content will be 50% and the seed too wet to harvest.
 Once the heads and bracts have turned brown the moisture content will be 16-
20% and combining can be started.

Bambara Groundnut
Common name: Bambara groundnut or Bambara nut
Scientific name: Vigna subtarranea
Shona: Nyimo
Ndebele: Indhlubu

Brief background
Bambara groundnut is widely grown in the smallholder sector. It is native to the African
continent. Research results show that the crop has considerable promise for
commercialisation.
Soil type
 The crop grows well on well drained with soils pH of 5.0-6.5
Production areas
 The crop can be grown in all the natural regions of Zimbabwe.
Rainfall and climatic conditions
 Best growing temperatures are 20 C to 30 C and the rainfall range is 600-
200mm.
Crop rotations
 Rotate with cereals such as maize, millet, sorghum and root crops such as sweet
potato. Fallow lands are productive when grown to Bambara groundnut
Varieties
 .Currently Zimbabwe has no released varieties on the market and production is
based on land races.

Planting
Spacing
 Natural regions I, II and III (or under irrigation) use 45cm between rows
and 15cm between plants in the row.
 up to 20cm between plants in the row in dry areas
Seed rate:
 27-135 kg/ha depending on seed size (lower rate for small seeded types and
higher rates for larger seeded types). Plant one seed per station.
Planting time:
 Mid November to mid December with effective rains.
Seed dressing
 :use Thiram 80% WP at 70g/0kg of seed.
Earthing up
 For good pod development and pod filling, earthing up is recommended after
flowering has started or at pegging. Pods that develop above ground result in
green coloration and the seeds are smaller.
 Care should be taken when earthing not to go too close to the plant as this might
damage pegs.
Fertilizer
 After a well-fertilized crop such as maize apply phosphorus fertilizer at rates of
40 to 60kg/ha and potassium fertilizer at rates of 25 -30kg.
 In poor soils, an application of 200-250kg of Compound D
Weed control
 Weeding should be done 15 days after emergence and then before clusters join.
 The herbicide Metachlor (Dual) applied pre-emergence at 1.7L/ha can be used to
control most annual weeds. Alternatively, hand hoes are used.
Harvesting and shelling
 Harvesting is done when the crop turns yellow and the leaves have fallen.
 The shell will completely separate from the seed and the seed will be shiny and
tough.
Storage
 Shell only when you need to use the seed in order to prevent weevil damage.
 Apply grain protectants such as asphostoxin tablets.

Disease and pest management

 The few known diseases of economic importance are leaf spots, pod rots and
wilting diseases.
 Pests include aphids and ants in the field and storage weevils.
Marketing
 Most of the crop is marketed on the informal market with unspecified amounts
going across borders, especially to South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
Cowpea Production
Common name: Cowpea
Scientific name: Vigna anguiculata
Shona name: Nyemba
Ndebele name: Indumba
Introduction
 Mainly grown as a low input pulse. The leaves and grain are a source of protein.
Soil type
 Best yields are obtained from well drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
Production Regions
 Cowpea does best in natural regions III, IV and V.
Rainfall and climatic conditions
 250 – 500mm rainfall is adequate for cowpea production.
 The crop is prone to frost but high temperatures cause flower and pod drop.
Varieties
 Varieties available are CBC1, IT 18, CBC2 and CBC3.
 There are two basic types of cowpea the upright and bunch types mainly used for
grain production and the spreading types mainly used for grain, vegetable or
fodder.
 Improved cultivars such as CBC1 and IT 18 are ideal for grain production but are
of low leaf yield.
Spacing
Sole spacing: plant type: spacing seed rate
Bushy 45cm x 15cm 40-50kg/ha
Spreading 75cm x 20cm 20-25kg/ha
Intercropping: bushy 180cm x 15cm 10-15kg/ha
Spreading 180cm x 30 cm 5-10kg/ha
For sole cropping use the following rates:
Bushy types: 30-50kg/ha (120,000 plants /ha)
Spreading types: 12-15kg/ha (60,000 plants/ha)
Planting depth: 5-7cm
Planting time
 Can be planted from end November to first week of January.
 In high rainfall areas it is best to plant late from mid December to avoid diseases.
Seed Dressing
 Use Thiram 80% WP at 70g/100kg of seed if not certified to control damping of
seeding disease.
Fertilizer
 Cowpea responds well to manure or use-200kg/ha of compound fertilizers
Weed control
 Weed as early as possible until crop canopy is formed to smother late weeds.
Pest and disease control
Pest Control Pest Control
aphids Rogor Pod borer Endosulphan
Suckling bugs Endosulphan Beetles Endosulphan
Thrips Cypermethrin Storage weevils Any grain protectant
Disease Control Disease Control
scab Uneconomical to Ascochyta Uneconomical to
control control
Bacterial blight Benomyl Bacterial leaf spot Benomyl

Harvesting and threshing

 Leaves can be harvested from four weeks after planting to the onset of flowering.
 Harvest pods when they are relatively dry and thresh when completely dry.
Storage
 Dry to less than 11% moisture before storage.
 Use any grain protectant against cowpea weevil.
 Hessian bags store and maintain seed viability better than polypropylene bags.
Seed Selection
 Cowpea seed can be retained for up to 3 harvests as long as it is treated with
Thiram 80% WP, stored in Hessian bags and kept off ground.
 Rice
Common name: Rice
Scientific name: Oryza sativa
Shona: Mupunga
Ndebele: Umphunga
Brief about rice
There are two major groups of cultivated rice, namely Oryza sativa indica and Oryza
sativa japonica (sinica).
Climatic conditions affecting production
 Warm season varieties require temperatures of 25-35˚C while the temperature for
tillering and vegetative growth is 30° C.
Varieties
 The main variety grown in Zimbabwe is Blue Belle.
 Mhara2 and Mhara 4 have also been released. These mature in 100 – 105 days in
the low veld and yield in the region of 6 – 8 t/ha.
 Mhara 3, which matures in 104 days and is Blast resistant and high yielding, is
intended for production in seasonally waterlogged wetlands (vleis).
Seed availability
 Most of the seed of rice varieties is found at Chiredzi Research Station in the low
veld.
Cultural practises
 Rice requires well drained soils and is established from seed.
 Wheat drills can be used for seedling with a seed rate of 90kg/ha however
comparable yields have been obtained with varying seed rates of 40-120 kg/ha.
 Seed is grown in rows 250-300mm apart.
Weed control
 Hand weeding three times per crop season is the conventional method of weed
control.
 The following herbicides are registered for use in Zimbabwe: Basagran, Stam
F34, Propanil and Preforan.
Fertilization
 Apply 140kg/ha of nitrogen, 80kg/ha of phosphorus (P2O5) and no potash in the
lowveld.
Table for nitrogen top dressing

Medium season varieties Short season varieties

1 1
/4 at sowing as basal /3 at sowing as basal
1
¼ at five weeks /3 at four weeks
1
¼ at eight weeks /3 at eight weeks
¼ at eleven weeks
Pests
 The major pest of rice is the Quelea quelea bird, termites, aphids, and leaf eaters.
Rodents are also a problem in rice production and rodentites such as Finale and
Storm can be used.
  Spraying of birds at their roosting places can be done under the auspices of the
Department of National Parks. On a small scale, bird scaring can be effective.
Diseases
Blast (Pyricularia oryzae)
 Causes bluish flesh on the leaves, which turn brown.
 High temperatures, humidity, dense stands and high levels of nitrogen favour the
disease.
 Sow early before the onset of the rainy season to reduce the disease..

Brown Leaf Spot (Cochliobolus myabeanus).

 Brown spots on the lamina and sheaths and black spots on the husks of the grain.
 Favoured by cold weather.
 Seed dressing with Vitavax or Baytan reduces the incidence of this disease.
Harvesting
 Can be done manually or mechanically.
 Below are a number of guidelines that will ensure that grain quality is preserved
during harvest operations, and that losses are kept to a minimum.
 Avoid delays in thrashing and avoid rewetting of harvested kennels
 Use proper thresher machine settings
 Clean grain thoroughly after threshing
 Harvest and thresh at night at 20-25% moisture content.
 Immediate threshing reduces the exposure of the crop to insects, birds, rodents,
disease, and moulds.
 Avoid piling of the crop after harvest as this generates heat that serves as an ideal
medium for growth of moulds, disease and pests.
Marketing
White seeded varieties are popular on the formal market while brown seeded varieties
dominate the informal market.

Sorghum production
Back Ground
 It is used for food, feed, building material and fuel
 .It is mainly considered a subsistence crop because of its tolerance to drought and
adaptation to dry tropical ecosystems.
Climatic requirements
 It is adapted to marginal rainfall areas when compared to other cereals
 Sorghum can be grown in any area that receives between 300 and 900 mm of rain
that should be well distributed through out the growing season.
  Can be grown in all soil types even though higher yields are obtained on sandy
loamy and heavy textured soils.
 The soil should be deep and well drained..
 The ideal soil pH is 5.0 and 6.5.
Fertility management
 Normally band applications of moderate rates of compound D are used at a rate
of 150-300 kg/ha depending on the inherent soil fertility levels.
 Ammonium nitrate at a rate of 100-200 kg/ha is used as a top dressing fertilizer
and is applied 6-8 weeks after emergence.
 In very light and inherently infertile soils it is recommended to split apply the top
dressing fertilize at least 2 weeks.
 Sorghum has also been observed to respond well to farmyard manure.
Variety Choice

 The national sorghum improvement program has developed a number of sorghum

varieties that have proved to out yield farmers varieties in terms of grain yield.
 The available sorghum varieties are SV-1, SV-2, SV-3 and SV-4.
 Private companies have developed some varieties that can be accessed on the
market.

Table 1: Description of Sorghum varieties

Variety Characteristics
SV-4 It is a semi dwarf open pollinated variety that is more uniform in height with an average
height of 1,30m. It is a medium maturing variety that produces whole white bold grain.
Grain type is corneous to hard hence good milling qualities of up to 70% flour yield.
The panicle is big and semi compact with good exertion (12-16 cm). Physiological
maturity is within 113 to 127 days. SV-4 generally does not tiller.
SV-4 has a high yield potential of between 3.4 and 9.0 t/ha.
SV-3 SV-3 is a creamy white-grained sorghum open pollinated variety that is semi dwarf in
height. Plant height ranges from 1.14 to 1.59m depending on environment and it also
show a high degree of uniformity. It produces a semi loose heads that mature in 112 to
124 days. The grain texture is corneous to hard and has a flour yield of up to 70%. SV-3
has a high crude protein quality (10.35%). It can tolerate Striga better than SV-1 and
SV-2. It generally does not tiller.
This variety has a high yield potential of between 3,8 and 8 t/ha.
SV-2 A semi dwarf variety with an average height of between 1,4 and 1.6m with a
characteristic thin stem. It is an open pollinated variety with characteristic pearl white
grain. This is so far the earliest maturing variety that matures in about 110 to 115 days
and has also shown some tolerance to drought. SV-2 has good milling quality and it
produces up to 70.4% flour yield. Tillering is minimal with an average of 1.5 tillers per
plant. Yield ranges between 3 and 6 t/ha.
SV-1 SV–1 is a creamy white seeded open pollinated variety that was developed in
Zimbabwe in 1985. It is a semi dwarf variety with a semi compact medium sized head
that is well exerted. Average plant height is 1.25-1.8m. Physiological maturity is
attained in about 115-125 days. SV-1 can tiller to produce 2-3 tillers per plant and is
also photosensitive. Grain texture is very hard hence an excellent milling quality of
85% flour yield.
Yield ranges between 3 and 6 tons/ha
 An open-pollinated variety with creamy white seeds.1.2 to 1.5 m tall, 115 to 120 days
Macia to maturity. Excellent milling quality to produce up to 80% flour.

A hybrid red-seeded variety needs 120-125 days to maturity. Normally used for
DC-75 brewing. Yields from 3-6 tons/ha

NS55 A hybrid with brown seeds which requires 110-120 days to maturity.
Yields from 4-6 tons /ha

Pan 888 A hybrid forage sorghum variety which can be cut or grazed at 60-90 cm

Seed rates/ planting populations

 Seed rate of 8-10 kg /ha is recommended to achieve a plant population of
130000-150000 plants/ha.
 The recommended spacing is 75 cm between rows and 15-20 cm between plants
in a row.
 The common practice of planting is broadcasingt seed on a well ploughed land
and covering lightly using a light harrow, bush drag or cattle driven over the lands
and covered to a depth of 2-3 cm.
 Mechanical planting can also be done but this will require high seed rates and will
require more labour for thinning
Weed management
 Sorghum is very sensitive to weed competition especially during the early stages
of growth and establishment.
 Normally 2-3 hoe-weeding regimes are done even though the use of pre-
emergence herbicides like artrazine can be recommended in soils with greater
than 25% clay content.
Thinning
 Thinning should be done to establish an in- row spacing of 15-20 cm and this
should be done before tilling begins and is normally done 4 weeks after
emergence.
 At this stage it is also recommended to fill in for the seeds that that did not
germinate or seedlings that were affected by diseases.
Disease and pest management
The tables below show some of the common pest and diseases on sorghum in Zimbabwe.
Table 2: Common pests of sorghum in Zimbabwe
Pest Symptoms/damage caused Control
Shoot fly Feeding larvae cause drying up of central leaf Timely planting, use of
and dead heart symptoms in 1-4 weeks high seed rates
seedlings Chemical control using
thionex, carbaryl etc).

Aphids Found on the under side of leaves and funnel. Chemically using
 Secret honeydew that leads to sooty molds malathion, dimethoate
growth. (rogor), diazinon
Spider mites Suck sap from leaves to cause stunting. Spaying with acaricides
Mainly prevalent during hot dry spells like
Stalk borer Penetrate stem through funnel at any stage of Use chemicals like
growth endosulfan, carbaryl,
thionex, carbofuran
Head bugs Adults suck sup from the developing grain Control chemically using
dimethoate
Armoured These feed on the sorghum head thereby Control biologically by
crickets reducing grain yield scouting and hand
picking but chemical
control may be used.
Head bugs They suck the sap in the spikelets during Chemically using
grain filling dimethoate
Birds Remove sown seeds or seed from panicle. Scaring is the answer to
Less damage when crop mature at same time the problem
or on extensive sorghum fields
Table 3: Common sorghum disease in Zimbabwe
Disease Symptoms/ damage caused Control
Stalk rots Irregular molted pattern within internodes Control (rotations, clean
especially on peduncle. cultivation, destroy
residues
Downey Infected seedlings are chlorotic, stunted and Treat seed metaloxyl,
mildew may die pre maturely. deep ploughing, use
resistant varieties
Grain moulds Molds develop on grain on the panicle Control by adjusting
especially when crop matures during periods sowing dates.
of high rainfall and humidity
Ergot Infection is from panicle emergence through Use of resistant
fertilization May cause complete crop loss varieties, proper
rotations, destroy
residues
Smut Ear head become swollen and turn gray and Spray with fungicides,
use of resistant varieties,
removing smutted heads

Harvesting/drying /storage
 Harvesting is normally done when plants reach physiological maturity. Leaves
will be turn yellowish and beginning to dry up naturally..
Marketing
 Grain sorghum is marketed through the grain marketing board that presets the
prices. Private companies like delta can buy brewing sorghum from farmers
mostly those under their growers’ contracts.
Millet
Background

 Adapted to harsh environments. Pearl millet hybrids are highly responsive to
intensive crop production inputs
 Mainly grown in Matebeleland, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Midlands and
Masvingo province by smallholder farmers..
Climatic Requirements
 Adapted to warm dry climates of Natural region 3,4,5 that are marginal for Maize
production.
 Growth temperature of 28–32°c is optimum for normal crop growth..
 It does not tolerate flooding..
Fertility Management
Fertilizer rate of 200kg/ha Compound D plus 100kg/ha Ammonium Nitrate can be used..
Varieties
PMV-1
 Is an average yielder Dwarf variety that matures early in 90-95 days. It is a high
tillering variety with 5-10 tillers per plant.
TABLE: Agronomic characteristics of PMV-1
Yield Potential 2-3 t/ha
Days to Maturity 90-95 days

Grain colour Grey seeded

Plant height 0.9 – 1.3 (dwarf )

PMV-2
 Is an average yielder which escapes drought and matures in 95-100 days. It
produces 3-5 effective tillers and the head shape is candle like.

PMV-3

 PMV-3 is currently the highest yielding pearl millet variety. It is drought resistant,
matures early in 85-90 days. And has an intermediate height with 3 –5 effective
tillers. The head shape is cylindrical to lanceolate.

Seed Rates/ Plant Population

 Seed rate of 6– 10kg /ha is recommended the crop will be thinned to 50 - 75cm
inter-row and 20– 30cm in-row to give a population of 53 333 to 100 000 plants
per hectare.
 Planting Time/Depth/Method
 Depth varies from 25 - 75 mm the optimum being 35-45 mm. Sowing depth
varies in different soils and climate condition:
Optimum sowing depth – 3.50–4.50 cm
Heavier soils – 1.25–2.50 cm
Red soils – 2.50–5.00 cm
Desert sandy soils – 5.00–7.00 cm
 The crop is planted in early summer to late summer (i.e. from November to end
January) The crop can be planted by broad casting, hand drilling and machine
drilling in rows and also can be transplanted when it has reached close to knee-
height or at tillering.
Weed Management
Competition with weeds reduces grain yield by 25–50%. For effective weed control,
following two alternative measures are recommended:
 Two manual weeding along with hoeing 15 and 30 days after sowing are most
effective.
 Application of pre-emergence herbicide atrazine at @ 0.5 Kg a.i. ha-1, followed by
one hoeing after 3 weeks of sowing is effective and more economic
Pests Control

 The red –billed weaverbird and Quelea can be controlled by scaring or use of
bristled varieties.
 The stem borer and shoot fly are also damaging, can be controlled by crop
rotation and use of insecticides like carbaryl, malathion and endosulfon.
Disease Control.

Major diseases Causal organism

1. Downy mildew Sclespora graminicola

2. Ergot Claviceps fusiformis
3. Smut Tolyposporium pennicillariae
Downy mildew
Downy growth covering mostly under-surface of the leaf and ‘green ear’ as small green
leaves replaces grains in the ear head.
 Use resistant cultivars.
 Seed treatment with Apron S.D. 35 @ 6 gms kg-1 seed.
 Foliar spray-Ridomil 25 WP (100 ppm) after 21 days of sowing if infection
exceeds 2–5%.
 Infected plants should never be allowed to remain in field. Such plants should
be uprooted and burnt.
 Avoid monoculture of particular cultivar.
. Ergot
Honey-like secretion dries on earhead and later becomes hard in place of normal grain.
  There is no effective control measure through fungicides; therefore genetic
resistance is the best option.
 Precautionary measures.
1. Dip seeds in 20% brine water solution, stir and remove floating seeds
and sclerotia. Seeds lying in bottom be dried and sown.
2. Adjust sowing dates so that ear emergence does not coincide with
more rainy days.
3. Plough the field soon after harvest so that ergot is buried deep.
Smut
 Grain or grains becomes in infected earheads becomes swollen and turn dark
brown.
 Host resistance in best way to control.
 Spray of with fungicide Captafol (2 ppm) followed by Zineb (2 ppm), on panicle
at boot leaf stage reduces infection, but is not economic measure.
 Remove smutted ear.
Rust
 Host resistance in the best remedy.
 Fungicidal spray Zineb 0.15% attains varying degree of success on rust incidence.
Havesting/Drying/Storage
 Pearl millet is ready for harvest 3- 4 weeks after flowering.
 The crop is harvested by hand, by clipping the heads from the standing stalks this
allows periodical pickings to reduce field damage from birds leaving the green
heads to mature out
 The crop is either stored unthreshed or threshed.
 The grain is treated with insecticides such as Malathion, Lindane dust or neem
tree leaves are scattered throughout the grain to prevent insect attack and other
cereal insecticides can be used.
Finger Millet
Importance
 Mostly grown inMashonaland, Midlands, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces.
 Its uses include preparation of beer, food for pregnant woman, young children and
for the sick, possibly due to the high calcium and iron content in the grain.
Climatic Requirements
 It grows on a wide range of soils.
 It tolerates dry spell in the early stages of growth and then grows rapidly
Land Preparation
 Bed preparation should be thorough because of the small seed and because it
cannot stand weed competition
Fertility Management
Fertilizer rate of 200—300 kg/ha Compound D plus 100 –150 kg/ha Ammonium
Varieties

FMV-1
FMV-1 is higher yielding than local
 Nitrate is required
 Varieties and is the earliest to mature in 120-130 days. The variety is used for
food and brewing.
FMV-2
 The variety is higher yielding and
 Matures late in 150 –160 days. The variety is used for food and brewing.
Seed Rates/ Plant Population
 Seed rate is 3– 5 kg /ha. The crop can be planted at 50 cm inter-row and
15 –20 cm
 In-row to give plant population of between 100 000 to 133 333 plants per
hectare.
Planting Time/Depth And Method

 Being a small seeded it is usually surface sown. Rolling after sowing

would improve germination.
 It is sown early in the season with the first rains or in October– November
or late towards end of December.It is either broadcasted or drilled in
rows.
Weed Management
 Ability to compete with weeds is poor.
  It is mostly hand weeded to remove E.indica and E. Africana. These are hard to
distinguish from finger millet in the young stage.
Diseases and Pest Management
Head Blast caused by Piricularia oryzae which also attacks rice, can cause damage.
Harvesting, Drying and Storage
 Finger millet is ready for harvest 3- 4 weeks after flowering, is harvested by hand,
by clipping the heads.
 Crushing with a heavy stoneroller or flailing often threshes this crop.
Winter Wheat production
Common name: wheat
Scientific name: Triticum aestivum
Shona name: Gorosi
Ndebele name: Ingqoloyi
Introduction
 Wheat is the second most important cereal crop in Zimbabwe in terms of
quantities consumed.
Climatic factors affecting Wheat
 Grows well under temperate conditions.
 High temperatures after flowering reduce period of grain filling and hence yield.
 Frost during ear emergency and flowering may cause floral sterility thereby
reducing grain set.
 Severe frost after heading can destroy the stem just below the ear thus stopping
further development of grain.
 Severe frost after grain setting may cause moisture within the grain to freeze thus
distorting and damaging the grain and affecting test density.
 The most sensitive periods for water stress in wheat are during heading,
flowering, and early grain filling.
 Drought during these periods reduces yield.
 Rainfall during and after hard dough stage can cause germination of the grain in
the ear of some varieties, which reduces the taste density and quality.
 Early rains can cause lodging, down grading of wheat and interfere with
harvesting.
Wheat Varieties and characteristics

Variety Yield level Lodging Diseases

Seed Co
SC Nduna Very high white Resistant but Immune to stem rust,
coloured grain and medium to tall in moderate resistant to leaf
has good grading height rust and powdery mildew.
and baking qualities Have high field resilience
Smart High yielding, red High lodging Resistant to powdery
coloured grain and resistance mildew and recurring
has good grading because its of stem rust, Have high field
and baking medium height resilience, not resistant to
qualities. sprouting
Shangwa High yielding, Resistant to Immune to stem rust, leaf
white grained lodging due to its rust, and powdery
variety with short stature mildew.
exceptionally high
protein content
Stallion Very high yielding Medium to tall in High disease tolerance
(up to 10t/ha) red height levels for stem rust, leaf
 grained early rust and powdery mildew
maturing variety
Pannar
Pan 3490 High yielding (up Have good straw Excellent leaf, stem and
to 6-8t/ha) and strength stripe rust resistance with
matures in about moderate resistance to
158days powdery mildew
Pan 3492 High yield potential Tall and has good
and matures very standability
early
Government bred
Kana Red grained Dwarf hence
cultivar reasonable
lodging qualities
Insiza White grained early Semi dwarf Resistant to current leaf
maturing variety of rust strains
good quality.

Soil Requirements
Requires deep heavier textured soils, well drained and with good organic matter status.
Convectional Tillage
 Usually involves primary tillage operation (ploughing or ripping) followed by
secondary tillage to create a seedbed (disc or tine harrow with or without rolling).
 Rolling is necessary for rough soils.
 Ploughing can be done every 2 to 3 years (with a ripper or chisel plough used in
other years.
Planting
 Broadcast seed over the residue using an oscillating spout (VICON) or double
spinning disc fertiliser spreader or convectional seed drill planter with the
counters removed.
 Fertiliser should also be broadcasted on the surface after the seed.
 Seed rates should be 10 - 20% greater than under drilled conditions because seed
losses are higher. It is important to check distribution of seed and fertilizer when
fertiliser broadcaster is used.
Checklist to get an even distribution when broadcasting seed and fertiliser;
 There must be 100% overlap of swath
 The height the product leaves the machine is critical.
 The nylon tip on oscillating spout machines must be in good conditions
 On spinning disc machines the length of band arms of the fingers must be set
according to the instructions for the swath width and the size range and density of
the material being used.
 Fertiliser with wide varying prill sizes and blends are not good for very wide
swath width.
 If all the above have been tried and variation is still unacceptable and then reduce
swath width.
Direct seeding
  This can be done into maize or soya bean residue in two ways that are
with the use of no till drill, broadcast and light disc system.
 Irrigation may be applied at 2-3 day intervals.
Planting dates

Area Planting dates Reason

Highveld Up to 25 May To avoid the coinciding of flowering with
frost
Middleveld 7 to 15 May
Lowveld 1 to 10 May To avoid sharp rising temperature during
grain filling stage
Seed Rates
 Broadcasting – 120 -130 kg/ha
 Drilling- 100 to 120 kg/ha.
 At Least 10% of required seed is purchased each year to maintain quality.
 The ideal planting depth is 30 mm.
 Row spacing is 15-25 cm.
Nutrients requirements
Fertilizer type Application rate (kg/ha) N%
basal 300-500 7
Ammonium nitrate (AN) 300-400 34.5
Urea 225- 300 46
Lime ammonium nitrate (LAN) 350-500 28
Options of applying urea

First option
 Mix the required basal and half of the total urea
 The mixture is applied and incorporated into soil just before planting using disc or
roam harrow.
 If seed drilling method is used then the mixture can be applied during seed
drilling
 The other half urea can be applied at flowering (6- 8 weeks)
 At flowering apply the urea followed by a light irrigation of water about 3-4 hours
around 15-20 mm
 Urea should be applied to an area that can be covered by an irrigation cycle.

Second option
 On heavy soil, apply the urea in one application at 14-21 days after emergency
 On sand split applications can be done at 14 days and at 35 days after emergency
 Immediately follow with a light irrigation of water about 3-4 hours around 15-
20mm
 Urea should be applied to an area that can be covered by an irrigation cycle
Weed control
Start with a clean seedbed by controlling late weeds in summer. Scout for weed
infestation early 2- 3 weeks after emergency and again 10 days later. After scouting
decide which of the following policies to adopt:
No weeds No need to spray
Isolated weeds Hand pull
Weeds in patches Spot spraying
Weeds present throughout the land Overall spray
Chemical weed control
The choice of the herbicide is depended on the weeds not on the cost
Name of herbicide Stage of application Rate of Types of weeds
application
Banvel 3 leaf stage after 250ml/ha Control of broad leaf
emergency weeds
Ally Any time after 20g/ha Control of broadleaf
emergency weeds
MCPA 3 leaf stage after 2.5l/ha Control of volunteer
emergency to 30 days soyabeans
after germination
Pumer super After emergency 300-500ml/ha Control of annual and
perennial grasses
Ally + Banvel mix 5g +100ml+ 0.1% As above
Sanawett
Banvel + MCPA 250ml +750ml As above
mix
Roundup At 6 leaf stage of 1l/ha Control all weeds and
(Glyphosate-a I) weed. Applied as a even tree shrubs (The
pre plant for zero or tree shrubs should be
minimum tillage cut and roundup is
applied on the cut
stumps
Irrigation
The most critical stages of moisture require are during root development, heading, early
flowering, and early grain filling (milk dough stages). Water
The following recommendations can be used
 Pre irrigation before sowing and bringing soil slightly below field capacity
 Immediately after sowing 22 mm of water should be applied and this is repeated
five days later
 Water is applied again 3-4 weeks after sowing or when the crown roots have
developed.
 Apply 44mm after top dressing and herbicide application.
Recommended water requirement for a season ranges from 350-600mm.
Irrigation Scheduling
The maximum irrigation cycle length (days), which may be employed on wheat under
deficit irrigation, is as follows:

Soil texture Highveld Middleveld Lowveld

Sand 11 9 5
Sand clay / loamy 15 13 7
Clay 18 16 9
Major diseases
Disease Occurrence Symptoms Control
Wheat leaf Highveld, late Masses of light brown -Plant resistant/ tolerant
rust July – pores on leaves. Black varieties
September. spores later. -Following recommended
Lowveld, planting dates
early June- -Destruction of volunteer
July wheat plants
- Spray with Shavit
Powdery Excess Colonies of white to -Use resistant varieties
Mildew nitrogen and grey cottony or fluffy -Avoid excessive use of water
water favours growth with thousands and nitrogen
disease of dry spores on upper -Destroy volunteer plants
development surface of leaf -Deep ploughing and burying
infected debris
-Use of recommended plant
populations
-Rotations
-Use of fungicides
Maize streak Transmitted Chlorotic streaks on leaf -Control vector using
virus by leaf hopper blades insecticides
Stunted plants and may -Breed for resistance
not bear heads
depending on stage of
attack
Loose smut Kennel of infected -Rogue and burn all infected
plants are transformed heads
into a mass of dark -Plant certified seed
powdery spores covered -Treat see with systemic
with a thin membrane fungicides (Baytan, Vitavax)
-Use of resistant varieties
-Rotation

Pest
Quelea birds- have red beaks and
move in flocks of up to a million
birds, they feed on soft dough wheat
grains and start from the edge of the
field. A bird a feed up to 4g/day and
can destroy up to 10g. They roost
near water sources and this may be
about 50km away from field
Aphids – These feed on leaves of
developing ears. They are small and
green in colour. They pierce, suck,
and found on underside of leaves.
Management
-Identification of roosts
-Informing AREX and Parks and Wildlife
Management Authority
-Spraying roosts using Fenthion 640 UL
(Queletox, Shiritox640 UL)
-Bird scaring
-Mist nests: harvesting for relish
-Blasting
-Regular scouting
-Chemical control using; Systematic insecticides-
Dimethoate( rogor) , Carbosulfan (Marshal),
Dimeton-S-Methyl (Metasystox),
May cause leaf curling Monocrotophos, Pirimicarb (Pirimor 50 DG),
Thiometon (Ekatin 25 EC)
Armyworm- the larva stage feeds on - Use Carbaryl 85% WP 625g/ha as soon as pest
the leaves of the crop. Serious is noticed
damage may be caused in young
seedlings if outbreaks are not
controlled
Leaf and ear caterpillar- these feed by - Can be controlled by Carbaryl 85% WP at a
eating or stripping the leaves. Serious rate of 625g/ha or Malathion 50%EC at 600-
damage may result if outbreaks are 1200ml/ha
not controlled.
Leafhoppers- these can transmit Dimethoate 40% at a rate of 70ml/ha
streak virus

Harvesting
 Should be done when wheat is fully ripe at 12.14% moisture level.
 For large scale use a combine harvester and for small scale it can be done by
hand.
Assessing field loss
A total of 50 to 60 grains per 0.1m 2 indicate loss of 50 kg/ha. Field losses of 1 to 1.5 bags
are a great loss. Combine blades should be fixed so as to avoid great loss.

Oats
Land Preparation
 Oats can be groan on a wide range of soils and will tolerate more acidic soils than
either wheat or barley.
Cereal pH range
Oats 4.5-5.5
Wheat 5.1-7.0
Barley 5.5-7.0
Good land preparation is essential for establishment of a good crop. Land should be
ploughed to a depth of 150- 225mm and harrowed and/or disc to produce a fine seedbed.
Planting Dates
Variety Days to mature Planting date
Florida selected 160 End of April
Rapida 120-125 May onwards
Seed Rates
 50-60 kg/ha if drilled or 70 kg/ha if seed is broadcasted.

Varieties
1. Florida selected- a late maturing variety, but high yielding
2. Rapida- an early maturing variety, medium to high yielding
3. Oatline Larry- a mid season maturing low yielding variety. It performs well under
nitrogen regimes and produces much greater seed yield than Florida selected.
Fertilising
General Recommendations
Soil status N (kg/ha) P 2 O 5(kg/ha) K 2 O (kg/ha)
Good 30 20-30 20-30
Medium 30-60 30-60 30-50
Poor 60-90 60-90 50-70
Apply nitrogen with caution especially Florida Selected grown for seed since it the
variety is prone to lodging. If it is grown for fodder apply Ammonium Nitrate (25-30 N)
top dressing of up to 75kg/ha after each cut.
Irrigation
 Similar to that of wheat and barley
Weed Control
 Apply Fenron at the rate of 1.7kg/ha at any stage and a lower rate of 1.0kg/ha 3
weeks after germination.
Diseases
Crown Rust (Puccinia Coronata)
 Small oval strange yellow particles scattered on both leaves.
 Controlled by using resistant variety
Barley Yellow Dwarf Diseases
 Causes reddening of leaves, stunting, an upright posture of thickened stiff leaves,
reduced root growth and a reduction in yield.
 Heads of affected plants tend to remain erect and become black and discoloured
during ripening due to colonisation by saprophytic fungi
Loose smut (Ustilago Avenae) –
 A seed borne disease, which reduces ears to black powder.
 Seed dressing best controls this disease.
Stem rust (Puccinia Graminis var avenae)
 Causes reddish brown elongated pustules on stems and leaves.
 No other known control methods other than planting resistant varieties.
Maize Seed Production
Site Selection
- Good fertility and near to a water source
- Easy accessibility to inspection, harvesting, processing and storage
- Protected from livestock
Avoid fields that had maize the previous season
Isolation
 Spatial isolation
- Minimum distance 300m though variable.
- Vegetation barriers around the field are preferable
 Time isolation
- Plant 6 weeks before or after the nearest maize crop
- Check with neighbours’ plants
- Look out for volunteer plants
Soil and fertility management
 Requires a pH of 5.5-6 and Follow site specific recommendations

Yield expectation N fertilizer application

1 t/ha 30 kg N/ha
2 t/ha 60kgN/ha
3 t/ha 90kgN/ha
4 t/ha + 120kgN/ha
Land preparation and planting
 Fine and firm seed bed for good and uniform germination to ensure good seed soil
contact.
Planting distances
Follow site specific recommendations and remember Low moisture and low fertility
reduce plant density
High rainfall area – 4-5 plants/m2 0.9 x 0.3
Low rainfall area – 2-3 plants /m2 1.0-1.2 x 0.3
Very dry areas- 1-2 plants/m2 1.2-1.5 x 0.3
Weeding
Manual weeding
 Start as early as possible and weed a minimum of 2 times
 Small weeds are easier to control
Chemical weeding
 More effective but costly (must have knowledge of the weed spectrum)
- Pre-emergence – Atrazine and Dual post-emergence
- Basagran
- Gramoxone
- Bladex
Scouting and pest and disease management
 Scout and identify pest and disease before action
  Ensure proper and safe use of chemicals
 Rogue and burn diseased plants
 Remove alternative pest and disease host plants on and off season
 Keep the field weed free
 Use disease and pest free equipment (e.g. witch weed seed)
 Avoid unnecessary movement of people across the field
 Practice crop rotation
Common diseases:
 GLS – Grey Leaf Spot
 MSV – Maize Streak Virus
 Maize Rust
 Maize Blight – Turcicum
 Ear rots – Diplodia and Fusarium
 Phasoepheria Leaf Spot
Varietal Characterization
Why is this important?
- To benefit from the genetic advantages of the improved variety
- To enable rouging during seed production
- To identify the variety
Roguing
Avoid genetic contamination
 Ensure varietal integrity and purity
 Reduce incidence of seed-transmitted diseases

Avoid mechanical contamination

 Ensure physical purity of the seed
 Eliminate weeds
 Systematic evaluation of a seed production field
 Removal of all undesirable plants
 “Rogue” – any atypical plant that do not conform to the varietal description

Roguing” Before and During Planting

 Good site selection (no volunteers, weeds)
 Use good seed (Foundation seed)
 Verify that isolation is adequate
 Use herbicides; eliminate weeds

Roguing During Vegetative Cycle

 carefully rogue undesirable plants
- Post emergence: can often be seed off-types (taller; thicker stems, different
colour, out of place)
- Flowering: earliest and latest plants to flower, tassel colour, silk colour, weak
or diseased plants
 Clean all equipment before entering field (e.g. cultivator)
 Clean-up, rogue perimeter fields (isolation area) to eliminate maize (volunteers)
 plants and problem weeds

Recommended seed moisture

 Harvest = 30-35%, Shelling = 14-16%, Storage = 12%
Sun drying
Done before shelling on either a clean and dry surface a patio with a concrete floor or on
black plastic sheeting.
Mechanical drying
 Permits earlier harvest and Ensures higher seed quality.
 Is expensive in terms of equipment and power and initial investment and Can
damage the seed if poorly managed
 Drying time is on average 4.5 hrs per 1% moisture
“Double pass” system
Initial maximum temperature: 28oC
Absolute maximum temperature: 43oC
Roguing During Harvest and Processing
 Use/display sample boards with example cobs to facilitate visual rouging of cobs.
 Remove partially filled ears, malformed cobs, diseased and germinating kernels,
extremely dent kernels or flint.
 Clean all harvest and processing equipment.
 Tag/identify all harvested cobs, bags, seed containers and Store each seed lot
separately from others
Shelling the Seed Crop
Manual shelling
 Rotten or deformed seeds are removed.
 Best seed quality is achieved and little mechanical damage occurs.
 Labour intensive and slow but allows shelling at higher moisture; then sun-dry
grain instead of cobs.
Mechanical shelling
Seed moisture content is critical
Too wet: mushes, bruising whilst too dry: cracks, breaks
Just right: 14-16% moisture
Use slow speed (<300 RPM)
Hand-operated shelling machines can be very practical
Conditioning the Seed

 Enhances seed quality but does not compensate for poor production
Cleaning
 Involves the use of screens or sieves.
 Eliminates foreign matter, broken and shriveled seed.
 Winnowing can remove light, poor quality seed whilst.
 Gravity table uses air and vibration
Denser seed = healthier seed
Classification, sizing
 Use screens (large, small, flat, round)
Treating the seed
 Timing of treatment is important.
 Carefully use correct quantities, rate and ensure uniform coating of seed. Also
ensure seed is at appropriate moisture content.
Packing/Bagging the Seed
 Requires accurately labeled packages which will make it convenient for handling
and transport.
 Choose appropriate packaging for likely storage conditions. Paper is better than
plastic in hot, humid conditions.
Protect seed against contamination and damage.
Seed Storage
Objective:
Keep seed in viable (germinable) condition until the next planting season
Dry, cool conditions are best. (Good sanitation practices are essential)
Seed Quality
 Viability = capacity of the seed to live, grow and develop.
 Germination = capacity of the seed to develop normal seedlings in optimum
conditions.
 Vigor = properties of the seed which determine potential for uniform and rapid
emergence and the development of normal seedlings in a wide range of field
conditions.

Maize
Common name: Maize
Scientific name: Zea mays L.
Shona: Chibage/Magwere
Ndebele: Umumbu

Rainfall
 Favours long seasons (110-140 days) in which there is adequate moisture.
 Severe moisture deficit at tasseling and silking causes crop failure due to poor
pollination.
 If rainfall is inadequate during taselling/silking, it is advisable to irrigate the crop.
 Water logging also has negative effects on maize.

Temperature
 Mostly night temperatures tend to affect maize yields.
 Temperature also affects time taken to maturity. Lowveld area crops tend
to mature much faster due to high photosynthesis.
 Temperatures above 38ºC destroy pollen viability.

Soil types
 Sandy clay loams and heavier soils are most suitable.
 Soils should be well drained and the optimum pH range is 5.5-6.5
 On heavy soils pH should not be allowed to drop below 5.0.
Land Preparation
 Winter ploughing, immediately after harvest kills weeds, conserves moisture, controls
pests and promotes early decomposition of weeds and residues.
 Summer ploughing and harrowing will create a fine tilth for planting.
Cultivar selection
There are two major groups of cultivars:
 Hybrids whose seeds cannot be recycled and
 Open-pollinated varieties, whose seed can be recycled for at least 3 seasons before buying
fresh seed,
Some of the advantages of OPVs
 Cheaper seed
 Seed can be recycled for ( 2-3 season )
 Recycling hybrid seed result in loss of hybrid vigour, hence the need to buy seed
every season.

Long season variety: Matures in 140+ days, e.g. SR52, SC701

Intermediate season variety: 130-140 days, e.g. SC627, ZS255
Short season variety: 120 -130 days, e.g. SC407, ZS257, SC403, SC401
 Long season and medium season varieties are recommended for high rainfall areas while
short season varieties are for drier regions.
Seed rates
 On average 25kg/ha of seed maize is recommended.

Planting time:
 Dry planting can be done 2-3 weeks prior to the first effective rain or alternatively plant with
first effective rains.
 Long season varieties can be planted with irrigation (where it is available) in mid October
before the rain.
 Late planting of maize after mid-December reduces yields.
 Rotation can be done with legumes.
Plant population and spacing
 45 000 plants/ha ( 90 cm x 25 cm) for high rainfall areas of NRI and NRII and
 37 000 plants/ha ( 90 cm x 30 cm) for low rainfall areas of NRIII and IV
 22000 plant/ha (1.5m x 30 cm) on tied ridges for dry areas of NRV.
 Varieties with short stature can be planted at higher plant populations.
 The general Planting depth is 50 mm, but variations can occur depending on soil type and
planting method.
Fertilizer application rates and time:

Table showing general Fertilizer Recommendation according to soil fertility status

Soil Fertility Status

Good Medium Poor
Fertilizer Nutrients Kg/ha of fertilizer nutrient required

N Up to 100 100-160 160-200

P2O5 30-50 50-70 70-90
K2O 20-30 30-50 50-70
Fertilizer in bags 3-4 compound D 4-7 compound D 7-10 compound D

Table 1: General recommended fertilizer rates according to Natural Region

Fertilizer Natural II Natural III Natural IV
Compound/maize fertilizer (kg/ha) 300 to 350 200 to 300 150-200
(6-7 bags) (4-6 bags) (3-4 bags)

Ammonium nitrate (AN) top dressing 250 to 300 150 to 200 100-150
(kg/ha) (5-6 bags) (3-4 bags) (2-3 bags)

 Generally, the whole of P & K requirements and at least 1/3 N should be applied at planting
by either broadcasting or banding in planting rows.
 The top dressing fertilizer (AN) is recommended at 4-6 weeks after planting or at maize knee
height if applied once.
 If topdressing is split because of high rainfall, the first 1/3 can be applied at 4-6 weeks and
the last 1/3 at 8 weeks after maize planting.

Liming
 It is recommended that fields be limed once in three years.
 General recommendation is 600-kg/ha limes.
 If the soil is strongly acidic comparatively large applications of lime are required, ½
to 2/3 of the recommended lime should be applied in the first season and the
remainder in the following season.
 It is important that the lime should be incorporated through out the plough Zone (30
cm). It is recommended also that it be applied after winter ploughing to give it time
to react with soils before planting.
NB manure & ash have liming effects on soils

Other soil nutrient replenishing methods to supplement inorganic fertilizers:

 Use of cattle manure, cured in pits or heaped.
 Rotation mainly with grain legumes such as groundnut, Bambara groundnut
(Nyimo /indhlubu) and soyabean.
 Maize intercropping with legumes such as cowpea (Nyemba / indumba)
 Green manuring using legumes such as velvet bean and sun hemp
 Use of agro forestry species such as e.g. Sesbania sesban for improving fallows
before planting maize.
 Use of termitaria (termite mound) soils
 Use of compost and ashes in fields to be planted to maize

Weed management
A maize crop should be maintained weed-free for at least 2 to 6 weeks after establishment.
There are basically three types of weed control practices used in Zimbabwe
 Hand weeding, using a hoe
 Mechanical (using ploughs and cultivators) in combination with hand hoeing
 Use of herbicides. Atrazine is the most common herbicide recommended for use in maize. It
can be combined with mechanical weeding by applying a rate reduced by 50% in the crop
rows only and using the cultivator or plough in between the maize rows. Atrazine controls
 most broad leaf weeds, but depending on the weed species, other herbicides may be
recommended.

Pests and diseases

Table 2: Major maize diseases and insect pests and their cultural or chemical control
Diseases Cultural and/or chemical control

Leaf blight Breeding for resistance and use of rotations

Leaf streak virus 40% Dimethoate at 50ml in 455 litres of water
Standard seed dressing eradicates the seed borne
Boil smut infection
Bacterial stalk
rot Do not irrigate in hot, sunny conditions
Maize rust Breeding for resistance
Grey leaf spot Breeding for resistance

Chemical control:
Pests Active ingredient Trade name
Aphids  Demeton-S-Metyhyl  Metasystox 25 EC
 Dimethoate  Dimethoate 40 EC,
Rogor CE
 Thiometon  Ekatin 25 EC

Armyworm  Carbaryl  Carbaryl 85 WP

 Malathion  Malathion Dust,
Malathion 50 EC
 Oncol 20 EC
Leaf hopper  Benfuracarb  Curater 10 G,
 Carbofuran Carbofuran
10 G
 Imidacloprid  Gaucho 70 WP
 Dimethoate  Rogor CE, Dimethoate
40 EC

Stalk-borer  Carbaryl  Carbaryl 5 Dust,

Carbaryl 85 WP
 Trichlofin  Dipterex 2.5 Gran
 Endosulfan  Thiodan 1%

 Regent 250 SE, Regent

Termites  Fipronil 3G
 Imidacloprid  Confidor 200 SL
Weevils  Pirimiphos methyl + Actellic Super
Permethrin
 Malathion  Ingwe/Nhoro
 Pirimiphos methyl  Shumba 2 Dust

Harvesting, drying and storage

 Maize can either be dried artificially or naturally.
 In natural drying, the cob is left on the plant and on small plots the sheath could be opened
to speed up drying.
 Acceptable moisture for effective storage is 12.5%.

Marketing
 Marketing of maize grain is currently controlled by Legislation with the Grain
Marketing Board being the sole trader.
 Innovative utilization at farm level i.e. for stock feed

Soyabean Production
Soils and climate
 The soyabean is suited to soils with high clay content. The optimum pH is 5.5
 .Soyabean requires reliable rainfall particularly from flowering to pod maturity.
 It is a good crop to grow in rotation with maize, cotton and wheat.
Fertilisation
 Soyabeans grow well on residual fertiliser.\
 General recommendation is 200 - 300 kg/ha of either a Compound fertiliser (D or L),
Gypsum or Single Super Phosphate before planting.
 Soyabeans respond well to manure application.
 Soyabeans do not need much nitrogen either in the basal fertilizer or as top dressing
they are able to obtain their nitrogen requirements from the soil air.
 It is therefore essential to apply Bradyrhizobium inoculant to the seed at planting.
 Do not leave the inoculant in a hot place, but store it in a cool, dark place.
 When ready to plant, the inoculum is mixed with a little water and sugar, and applied
to the seed immediately prior to planting.
 One packet of inoculant is required for each 100 kg of seed. However, a higher rate is
preferable on sandy soils or in first year soyabeans fields.
Cultivars
There are two basic types of soyabean cultivars: Determinate and indeterminate
 Determinate cultivars grow vegetatively for about six weeks and then begin
flowering, having put on 10 to 12 leaves. Once flowering begins, no further new
leaves are produced on the main stem.
 Indeterminate cultivars, on the other hand, grow vegetatively for about six weeks,
then begin flowering when the main stem has about 10 leaves, but at the same time
 as flowering, the stem continues to grow for another three weeks or so, producing
another five to seven leaves.
 Determinate cultivars are better suited to warm fast growing environments where
irrigation is available, like the lowveld, whilst on the middleveld and highveld, both
types are suitable. Under drought conditions, indeterminate varieties may have some
advantage over determinates.
 Some of the cultivars available include Soprano and Solitaire, which are
indeterminate, and Storm and Soma, which are determinate.
Planting and crop management
 The seed rate is about 100 kg per ha.
 The desirable plant population is around 350 000 plants per ha. The minimum plant
population is 200 000 plants per ha, while the maximum is 500 000 plants/ha.
 The row spacing may be from 25 - 90 cm.
 Do not plant seed deeper than 5 cm.
 Covered the seed such that the soil forms a slight mound over the row, as this makes
it easier for the seedling to emerge.
 Seed should be planted 25-50 mm deep, depending on soil texture. If soil crusting
occurs before emergence, wetting the soil with irrigation or breaking the crust with a
‘millipede implement’ will improve emergence.
 Planting is ideal around mid-December.
 A fungicide seed dressing of Thiram 80 WP (85 g/50 kg seed) or Captan 50 WP (125
g/50 kg seed) will help ensure good emergence.
 Soyabeans are particularly sensitive to weed competition during the first six weeks of
the season.
 Soyabeans are very susceptible to drought during the pod-filling stage.

Soyabean Planting Guide

Required average number of seeds
Seeding rate (kg/ha)
Target Required per metre of row
Harvest Planting
Thousand seed weight
Population Population Row width (m)
(g)
per ha per ha
0.45 0.60 0.75 0.90 250 220 190
200000 248000 11 15 19 22 62 54 47
240000 297000 13 18 22 27 74 65 57
280000 347000 16 21 26 31 87 76 66
320000 396000 18 24 30 36 100 87 75
360000 446000 20 27 33 40 111 98 85
400000 495000 22 30 37 45 124 109 94
440000 545000 25 33 41 49 136 120 104

Soyabean Management Guide

Establishment Late vegetative, early Seed filling
flowering period
Lime acid soils (Ideal Control any new weed Ensure good control of Rust
pH=5.3). growth. and Semi-loopers.
Fertilise as necessary. Start scouting for Semi- Apply two fungicide sprays
Best variety. loopers and Rust. during this period.
Use certified seed. Apply first fungicide spray Irrigate when there is a dry
Inoculate with for Rust at first flower. spell longer than 5 days.
Rhizobium. Harvest early to avoid
Do not plant too deep. shattering losses
Population: 300,000
plants/ha
Row width 45 - 75 cm.
Ensure early weed
control.

Pests
Semi-looper caterpillars
 Often a problem during the flowering and seed-fill period.
 They eat the leaves and sometimes the pods.
 Normally controlled by a naturally occurring virus disease, which kills the
caterpillars. Caterpillars that have died from the disease are black and hang from the
leaves. These may be collected, crushed, mixed with water and sprayed around the
field to help control other caterpillars.
 If the virus is not killing the semi-loopers then an insecticide spray may be required.
Diseases
Frog Eye Leaf Spot (Cercospora sojina)
Most cultivars available today are resistant to this disease.
Rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi).
o The Rust disease may be recognised as numerous small grey to russet coloured
tufts on the underside of leaves. They may appear similar to red spider mites.
o In advanced stages the leaves become distinctly yellowy-brown and a light brown
cloud of spores are seen in and above the canopy when the plants are shaken.
o It can be controlled using a fungicide spray.
o A number of chemicals are available, such as Punch® Xtra (350 to 500 mL/ha)
and Shavit® (500 ml/ha). Two or even three, fungicide sprays are at 3 week
intervals beginning at first flower. Ensure good leaf cover when spraying.
Red Leaf Blotch (Pyrenochaeta glycines).
o Severe infections can reduce seed yields by 30% - 50%. D.
o Solitaire and Soprano are moderately resistant.
o Chemical control is not available.
Harvesting
a) Hand harvesting.
o Suitable for small areas.
o Advantages of hand harvesting are that:
Losses can be reduced to a minimum
 Soyabeans of a high quality are produced
The beans normally have a high viability.
 Therefore, hand harvesting is suitable for seed production.
b) Mowing or cutting by hand and shelling.
 A variation is to use a mower to cut the plant material, and a mechanical
winnower for the final cleaning.
 This method should enable an output of ± 150 kg (3 bags)/labour/day. This
method enables harvesting to commence before the pods split, but allows
sufficient moisture to be lost, thereby preventing mould developing in the
established cocks or stacks.
c) Swather plus combine.
 This method involves the use of a swather to cut and wind-row the crop before it
is combined. A pick-up attachment is required to be fitted to the combine table.
d) Combine harvesting.
 Large areas are usually reaped by combine harvester and losses are inevitable.
 The degree of loss depends on the efficiency of the machine and operator,
evenness of the land, the height of the pods off the ground, lodging, the moisture
content of the beans, and weed control.
 Sugar Cane Production
Introduction
 Sugar Cane is a long season crop (12 months growing cycle).
 It has a high water requirement of about 1500 mm / yr.
 It thrives well under high temperature conditions (Min.16-21ºC and Opt. 27-
38ºC).
 Hence bulk cultivation of the crop is in Chiredzi and Triangle.
Seed Cane
 Growers are encouraged to plant more than one variety to minimise losses due to
pests and diseases.
 Varieties N14, N10 and NCO376 are available.
 Farmers must make arrangements with seed producers to grow seed for them.
The ZIMBABWE Sugar Association (ZSC) certifies seed cane producers and no
charge is levied for seed production.
 It takes 8-10 months to produce seed cane
Propagation
 Seed cane consists of cuttings with shoots (25-30 cm long) called setts.
 An ideal sett should have at least 2 internodes and at most 3 internodes.
 Number of buds that germinate decrease with an increase in the number of
internodes beyond 3. Use of certified seed cane will minimise systematic smut
infection.
Planting
 The ideal time is mainly in the later summer months (August- November).
 March and April are also suitable due to the low weed pressure characteristic of
the period. The crop results in high sucrose yield because the well grown cane is
dried off when conditions are best suited for ripening.
 Sugar cane planted from May to July is generally slow growing due to the very
low temperatures characteristic of the period.
Planting procedures
 Generally spacing is 1, 5-1, 8 m inter-row and 0.6 intra-row.
 First sprinkle Bayfidan to the setts to protect against termites
 Plant by laying setts in the furrow. Cover the setts with soil.
 Overlap the setts to an increasing degree if there is any doubt about seed cane
quality
 Spray the setts and furrow with Dieldrin solution to protect the crop from
Heteronychus Beetle.
 8-10 tonnes of seed cane are required per ha.
 Failure to germinate may be due to:
*Mechanical injury of the buds.
*Chemical injury.
*Poor nutritive status of the setts.
*Lack of nitrogen.
 *Disease.
*Low temperatures expose setts to decay.
Fertilisation
 The ZSA provides soil analysis services to all cane growers.
 The general recommendation is to apply 200 kg/ha MOP, 200 kg/ha SSP and 150
kg/ha AN at planting.
 These fertilisers are put in the furrow and covered with soil before putting the
cane /setts
 Generally AN rate is 450 kg/ha. Note that the remainder of AN should be applied
before the crop is 12 weeks old.
 For ratoon crops the fertiliser is usually applied in a band shortly after cutting.
 Blends can also be used in sugar cane production and these are a much cheaper
option
 Blend 1 - 430 kg/ha
2 - 620 kg/ha
3 - 700 kg/ha
Irrigation
 Overhead and furrow irrigation are the common methods of irrigation used in
production of sugarcane.
 The average water requirements, from planting to harvesting, is about 16 mega
litres of water/ha. This requirement necessitates a peak water requirement of
about 70mm a week in hot, dry periods and in winter 2-4 weeks with the same
application.
Weed Control
Hand and mechanical weeding can be used, but herbicides are more widely used.
Pre-emergent or early post emergent herbicides
Atrazine 1, 6 l/ha
Alachor 1, 3 l/ha
The crop should be kept weed free at least until it has established an effective canopy.
Pests
Heteronychus beetle
 This is the major pest at present.
 The beetle causes stem and root damage.
 Spray with dieldrin (2, 25 kg in 440 litres water) into the furrow and over the setts
before covering. The mixture is enough for one hectare.
 Dieldrin sett dip can also be applied by dipping the setts into the chemical before
planting.
Migratory Locust
 Devours cane leaves and this has a bearing on yield since the leaves are
photosynthesis sites.
 Spray with cabarayl
Pearly scale
This is controlled by Dieldrin applied for Heteronychus control

Diseases
Smut
Is the most serious disease of sugarcane
Can be controlled through use of resistant varieties, use of clean certified seed, general
field hygieneand planting material can also be treated with fungicides e.g Tilt
Ratoon stunt
Results in stunted growth and can also seriously reduce yield.
Can be controlled by using hot water treatment in the setts.
Leaf Scald
Controlled by using resistant varieties, e.g. NCO 376, N 14
Quota system
 Currently, in Zimbabwe milling is done at Triangle.
 For commercial production all prospective farmers have to enter into agreement
with the milling company on how much cane they propose to deliver on a set date
(12 months from planting).The farmer has to estimate the hectarage to be planted,
variety and estimate of anticipated yield.
Harvesting
 Sugarcane is cut after being burnt.
 Burning is preferably done at night since temperatures will be slightly lower. This
minimises the conversion of sucrose into alcohol.
 Farmers are advised to inform the milling company in advance if they are unable
to meet the milling quota agreements in order not to disadvantage other farmers.
NB: There are 203 harvesting days for the year and after the mills will be shut down. On
average, a cutter can harvest 0,066 ha/day.
 There are better returns if harvesting is done before the onset of the rainy season.
 For a bundle weighing 5 tonnes and above, a cutter is given a bonus.
 Yield levels are in the range 90-120t/ha.
Transportation
 The time spent between burning of cane and milling should be less than 72 hours
in order to minimise the loss of sucrose from the cane.
Management
 If cane is poorly managed and the Plant Protecting Group of ZSE discovers
serious pest and disease infestation the crop may be declared useless and will be
ploughed out.
 At least 90 days have to be allowed between ploughing out of the cane and
introduction of a new crop.
Returns
 Most farmers tend to break even at between 65 - 70t/ha of cane yield.
 Excellent farmers can even go up to between 100 - 120t/ha of cane.
For every 50 tonnes of sugarcane delivered, there is automatic sampling and subsequent
filtration of the juice which is done by the laboratory department of the milling
companies to determine how much sucrose is in the juice.

Generally, 12% of the cane will be sucrose, i.e. the estimated recoverable crystals will be
12% of the tonnage delivered. The farmer will be paid the remainder after milling and
transport costs plus levies that might apply are deducted.
Tobacco
Tobacco: Flue Cured
The Ideal seedling
 Is 15 cm in length from bud to root-crown;
 Is at least as thick as a pencil;
 Has produced not more than eight to ten visible leaves
 Is well –hardened
 Is disease –free, Has a strong root system
Tobacco Seedling Production Using The Float Seedbed System
The float tray system replaced the conventional system on tobacco seedling production
following the phase out of Methyl bromide.
Advantages:
 it uses fewer chemicals and in smaller quantities
 it employs economical integrated management of diseases and pests
 it uses less water and fertilizers
 it produces superior and more uniform drought tolerant seedlings
 it offers additional flexibility in planning following pulling
 it facilitates easier field management arising from a more uniform crop
 it has a permanent seedbed site and there is no need for rotations
 trays can last for five or more years if kept properly

Materials Required For One Hectare Worth of Seedlings

200 Cell Tray 242 Cell Tray
Trays 87 72
Seed number 20 000 pellets 20 000 pellets
Black plastic 39m2 34m2
Pine bark 220 litres Up to 432 litres
Washed river sand 220 litres 108 litres
Water 2060 litres 1700 litres
Ammonium nitrate 600g (22 x cup 30) 800g (18 x 30 cup)
No. of bricks 400 320
Hydrofert 1.6kg 1.3kg
Floatfert 7 litres 6 litres
Dibbler 200 cell dibbler 242 cell dibbler
Site Selection
Choose less level ground
Bed Construction
 Beds should be sufficiently wide to accept three or four floating trays side-by-
side.
 This means that the inside dimensions of the retaining float water wall must be
approximately 1.05 m wide for three trays and 1.40m for four trays.
  Two courses of farm bricks can be used and may be loose-laid or be set in
position permanently with mortar.
 Next the entire construction must be lined with 250 micron black plastic sheeting.
 The sheet must be at least 0.5m wider and longer than the inside dimensions of
the bed to allow for the plastic to be laid over the top of the wall and at least
partly down the outside of the wall.
 The bed should then be filled with water to a depth of 10 cm. This will flatten the
plastic against the bottom and sides of the pond and any wrinkles or irregularities
can be pulled straight during this filling exercise.
 During this stage loose soil can be piled up against the outside of the walls up to
within about 3 cm of the top, so as to hold the plastic in place. Permanent beds
have to be properly lined with Super Impemo to make water proof and to obviate
the need to use plastic.
Media
 Pine bark, washed river sand and water mixed in the ratio 1; 1; 0.5 by volume are
used as the growing medium for the 200 cell trays.
 For 242 cell trays use 100% pine bark and water and mix in the ratio 1:0.5, or
mix pine bark, sand and water in the ratio 3:1: 0,5 by volume. The ratio of the
water may be reduced or increased depending on the moisture content of the other
constituents.
 The pine bark used is supplied by Flora Pine Bark Produce (Pvt) Ltd in Mutare
and Nyanga.
 Large pieces of pine bark or sand are removed by screening through a 6mm sieve
 The pH of the pine bark should be maintained at 5.5.
 The sand can be a source of weed seeds, pathogens and nematodes and so it
should be solarised, steamed or boiled before use. Limited amounts of amended
composted pine bark are available at Kutsaga as Gromix.
Tray Filling, Dibbling And Sowing
 Hand fill each tray with the above media that has been thoroughly mixed.
 Lift the tray to about 20 cm above a firm flat surface and drop gently on to the
surface. This will slightly compact the media in the tray.
 Do this twice and refill the tray and then make the dibbles.
 Pelleted seed is then sown into depressions (dibbles) that are made at the centre of
each cell.
 Dibbles 1.0 cm deep can be made using a dibble board. The trays should then be
floated in beds soon after.
Seedbed Covers
The plastic tents recommended for conventional early sowings in the high altitude areas
are also recommended in the floating tray system.
Basal Fertiliser

Fertilizer Tray Total no. Total Timing of application Total

type type (cell of amount (days after sowing) fertilizer
no.) trays/ha of water required
in beds for one
 (L) ha in the
field
7 days 21days 35 days
floatfert 200 87 2058 1.0 l 2.5 l 3.5 l 70. l
242 72 1700 1.0 l 2.0 l 3.0 l 6.0 l
Hydrofert 200 87 2058 260g 515g 772 1.6 kg
242 72 1700 212g 425g 640 1.3 kg
Top Dressing Fertiliser
 At 6 weeks (42 DAS) ammonium nitrate is applied at 100mgN/litre of water as
shown in the following table.
Watering
 After the initial bed filling ensure that the water is replenished in beds regularly in
order to avoid trays and media drying.
 Good quality water, which is free from nematodes, pathogens, salts and other
undesirables, should be used.
 The ideal water pH is between 5.5 and 6.4.
Clipping
The benefits of clipping include;
 Increased seedling uniformity.
 Removal of excess foliage thus allowing the plant canopy to dry.
 Regulation of seedling growth.
 Hardening of the plant later in the cycle.
 Holding the transplant past its due date.

 Clipping should be frequent and light, beginning when the seedlings are about 5
to 7 cm in height.
 Sanitation is a critical part of clipping therefore plant clippings should be properly
disposed of to avoid spread of diseases. The mower or cutter must be thoroughly
cleaned and sanitized before and following each use to ensure there is no spread
of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) or other diseases.
Hardening
 Seedlings should be sufficiently hardened so as to survive the difficulty of
transplanting under difficult conditions experienced in the lands.
 Hardening is done by ensuring that the seedlings utilize most of the nitrogen early
in the growth and that little remains in the water during the last two to three weeks
before transplanting
 Clipping also has a hardening effect.
 For further hardening remove the fertilizer solution from the waterbed, and
replace the solution with water only for the last week of production.
 The simplest test for “hardness” is that a seedling should be able at least to be
bent over without snapping.
Problems and Possible Solutions
Algae Growth:
 Actual harm to the seedlings is unusual..
  Cover as much as possible of the surface water with trays so as to exclude
sunlight on water, which encourages algal growth.
 It can also be controlled by delaying the fertilizing of the float bed to 14
days after seeding, this allows the seedlings to germinate and grow above
any algal growth on the cell surface.
 Used trays should be washed and sanitized before use. Use of Algaecides
is uneconomical.
 Avoid using pine bark/sand mixture in 242 Cell trays as they become
heavier and tend to sink thereby creating waterlogged conditions.
 As a preventative measure apply a Quaternary Ammonium Compound
(QAC) or copper oxychloride in float water at sowing. Copper
oxychloride is applied at the rate of 0.012 g/L and Pentakill at 0.18 ml/L
for one hectare of seedbed.

Amount of Copper Sporekill 12% at Pentakill 20% at

water(L) in 1 ha oxychloride 85% 36 ppm 36 ppm
bed wp at 10 ppm
Tray g No. 30 ml No. 30 ml No. 30
type cups cups cups
242 1700 20 1.3 508 17 305 10
200 2000 24 1.5 592 20 355 12

2.Pythium root rot

Water amount (L) Ridomil MZ 68% wp at 5 Ridomil MZ 68% wp at 10

ppm ppm
g No. 30 cup g No. 30 cup
242 1700 212 22.3 424 44.67
200 200 247 26 494 52
3 Sore Shin
 Sore shin in the field is managed by drenching seedlings in the float bed two days
before pulling with one of the following fungicides at 1 litre/tray as indicated
below:
(a) Tridemenol -Baytan 15% wp at 1.5 g/L/tray
-Shavit 25% ec at 0.9 ml/L/tray
(b) Cyproconazole -Alto 100 sl at 0.6 ml/L/tray
(c) Triticonazole -Premis 200 fs at 1.2 ml/L/tray

No of Area m² Baytan Shavit 15% Alto 100sl Premis

trays 15% wp ec 0.6ml/tray 200fs
1.5g/tray 0.9ml/tray 1.2ml/tray
g No. ml No. ml No. ml No.
30 30 30 30
cup cup cup cup
242 72 16.6 108 8.75 65 2 43 1.5 86 3
200 84 19.4 126 10 75.6 2.5 50.4 1.67 100 3.3
  Spiral/Aerial Roots: Thought to be associated with inadequate media aeration
(too much water/too little air). Spiral root plants occur when the root of
germinating seedlings does not penetrate into the growing media. Plants will
either die or lag behind other plants. Avoid packing media too tightly and avoid
overhead watering.
 Dry Cells: Water fails to move up the cell by a process called “wicking” due to
loose compaction of media in cells. No wicking means no germination. Follow
the tray filling and handling procedure correctly.
 Cold injury: The float beds should not be allowed to get cold. The June sown
nurseries need to have both cropgard and plastic tent and a greenhouse.
 Salt Injury: Greyish salt deposits on substrate surface. Severe cupping of
seedling. The possible solution is to water with a knapsack sprayer thoroughly to
leach the salts from the surface. Also cover with Cropgard or a sterile mulch plus
plastic cover at night.
 Chickens: These are a pest. Protect seedbed area.
 Maize Shellers: maize chuff and dust is detrimental to seedling growth. Ensure
float bed site is situated away from maize shellers.
Pests and Diseases
Seedbed diseases (From TRB Recommendations)
DISEASE SYMPTOMS CONTROL
Anthracnose Brown lesions on 1. Pre-treatment with Zineb (65% WP at 225g in 15-20 litres
(Collectotricum leaves, midribs and of water per 25m bed in dry soil. Water and leave several
tabacum) stems. Leaf lesions days before sowing. Sow 10 days before normal date as this
fawn, circular often treatment retards growth.
with darker edge 2. One of the following weekly;
a) Thiram: 80% WP 150-250g/100 litres
water
b) Dithane M 45: 80% WP 100-150g/100
litres water. Commence when plants are
10mm in diameter. Application rate: 5
See also disease in litres/25m² increasing to 115-20 litres/25m²
lands for altenaria c) Start spraying 222-3 wks after germination.
control Anilazine 50% WP 195-375g/100l water
75% WP 130-250g/100l water
3. If disease appears use 400-800ml/m² Benomyl at
220g/100l water.
Wild fire Circular brown Copper oxy-chloride or oxy-sulphate at 300g WP containing
(Pseudomonas lesions with a halo 50% copper in 100 litres water, applied at rate of 200ml/m²
tabacum) round each weekly
Angular Leaf Irregular, usually As preventative spray, use same chemical, 300g/100 litres
sport small, angular dark water, applied at rate of 200ml/m² weekly
lesions on leaves and
Pseudomonas stems
angular
Brown circular spots Spray at 2 4 t0 4.8 bar pressure, each nozzle delivering 850-
Frogeye with greyish centres 2300ml/min. For full details refer to TRB handbook.
Cercospora on leaves. Brown
nicotiane lesions on stem with
white centres.
Note: - Do not mix fungicides with insecticides
Cutworms and ants
 Apply a coarse spray of 135g Neotox sp in 100 litres water at a rate of 200ml/m²
or drench with 65g/100 l at rate of 1.5 l/m²
Aphids
 There should be no treatment within four weeks of germination.
 Neotox or Monocrotophos 40%WSC, 120ml/100 l water will control aphids. For
specific aphid control drench at the rate of 1 l/m² or spray 500ml/m² every 2 wks.
 Alternatively, drench or spray beds at the following rates every two wks with one
of the following insecticides:

Insecticides Ml/100 litres water

Drench Spray
Dementon-S-Methyl 25% EC 150 300
Dimethoate 40% EC 190 380

Repeat one or two days before pulling

Planting

Single Row System

Row 40cm 43cm 46cm 49cm 52cm 55cm 58cm 60cm

Spacing
100cm 25 000 23 256 21 739 20 408 19 231 18 182 17 241 16 667
105cm 23 810 22 148 20 704 19 436 18 315 17 316 16 420 15 873
110cm 22 727 21 142 19 763 18 553 17 483 16 529 15 674 15 152
115cm 21 739 20 222 18 904 17 746 16 722 15 810 14 992 14 493
120cm 20 833 19 380 18 116 17 007 16 026 15 152 14 368 13 889
125cm 20 000 18 605 17 391 16 327 15 385 14 545 13 793 13 333
130cm 19 231 17 889 16 722 15 699 14 798 13 986 13 263 12 821

Twin Row System

Twin Working
Row row Plant spacing
43cm 46cm 49cm 52cm 55cm 60cm
90cm 125cm 21 633 20 222 18 984 17 889 16 913 15 504
90cm 130cm 21 142 19 763 18 553 17 483 16 529 15 152
90cm 140cm 20 222 18 904 17 746 16 722 15 810 14 493
100cm 120cm 21 142 19 763 18 553 17 483 16 529 15 152
100cm 130cm 20 222 18 904 17 746 16 722 15 810 14 493
100cm 140cm 19 380 18 116 17 007 16 026 15 152 13 889
110cm 120cm 20 222 18 904 17 746 16 722 15 810 14 493
110cm 130cm 19 380 18 116 17 007 16 026 15 152 13 889
110cm 140cm 18 605 17 391 16 327 15 385 14 545 13 333

Summary of planting methods

Method Buckets Water cart Water cart Boom with Parallel Hoses
 detail and 4 horses 6 horses 4 horses Feed line From
cups And Standpipe
irrigation irrigation
Land size 9 9 9 3 5,8
Hectares
Plant pop 15 151 15 151 15 151 15 151 15 151 15 151
Per ha
Total plant 136 136 359 136 359 136 35 45 453 87 826
stations 359
Period of 24 38,30 25,25 37,10 8 8
planting (hrs)
Period of 3 4,79 3,45 4,64 1 1
planting (days)
Required output 5 681 - - - - -
per hr
Output per hours 740 3 560 5 400 3 675 5 660 10 833
of team at 75%
of standard No.
of plants per hr.
Teams required 8 1 1 1 1 1
LABOUR
Watering labour 16 2 3 2 3 4
Boom carriers - - 1 2 - -
Planters 8 4 6 4 6 12
Planters 8 4 6 4 6 12
waiters
Plant supply 2 1 2 1 2 4
labour
Drum labour 4 - - - - -
Main hose - -1 3 - - -
attendant
Pump attendant - - - 1 - -
Spare 4 2 3 2 2 4
Foreman 1 1 1 1 1 1
planting
Covering labour 6 3 5 3 6 12
Cutworm 8 4 6 4 6 12
treatment labour
Foreman 1 1 1 1 1 1
covering in and
cutworm
treatment
Sub-total 54 20 33 26 31 58
Drivers 2 2 2 2 - -
Seedling labour 7 4 7 4 7 13
at 930
seedlings/hr
Total Labour 63 26 42 32 38 71
Labour days per 22.33 14.89 15.63 16.49 13.33 12.93
ha at 75% of
standard
Insect control (Lands)
Routine spray I: (Cutworms, Leaf eaters, Leaf miner, millipedes, budworm, Aphids)
 One of the following insecticides should be applied in a 30 cm swath directly over the
plants using 500 litres/ha and minimal spraying pressures to ensure maximum run-off
and plant wetting:
Cypermethrin 20 % EC, 50 ml/100 litres water
Decamethrin2.5 % EC, 120 ml/100 litres water
Application
 Using a knapsack sprayer fitted with an ES 12-80 degree or 8015 nozzle at 1-1.5
bar pressure and traversing the row at 1m/sec will apply approximately the correct
volume (3.6litres/m). The knapsack sprayer will have to be refilled every few
minutes.
 Tractor mounted boom: treat two rows at a time with nozzle outlets directly above
the row centres. An alternative is a spray boom with four to six hand held spray
laces.
 Calibration: To obtain large droplets for maximum plant wetting and run-off, low
spraying pressures (1.0-1. 5 bar) must be used.
i. Select a suitable tractor speed
ii. Select correct nozzle size to give 500 litres/ha in 30 cm band over
ridge
iii. If nozzle is limited, select suitable tractor speed.
Routine Spray II
 Use same equipment as for Routine Spray I where plants are about to enter their
main growth phase. A high clearance tractor will reduce plant damage. This
second spray is intended to function with Routine Spray I.
Disease Control (Lands)
DISEASE DESCRIPTION CONTROL
White Mould Powdery white spots on Dinocap 25% WP,(Karathane 20% WP) 400-
(Erysiphe) both surfaces of lower 800g/ha + 20ml wetting agent
leaves which gradually Benomyl (Benlate 50% WP); 200g/ha + 20ml
move up the leaves wetting agent
Wildfire, Angular Leaf Small lesions, surrounded None. Resistant varieties
Spot by green halo, older lesions
have brown center and
surrounded by yellow halo
Anthracnose, Frogeye Circular white lesions, Benomyl (Benlate 50% WP), 200g/ha + 20ml
surrounded by brown wetting agent
necrotic rings and small Iprodine (Rovral 250 sc, 2litres/ha
yellow haloes
Alternaria leaf spot Brown necrotic lesions with tebconazole (Folicur 250 ec, 500ml/ha
concentric rings surrounded Iprodione (Rovral 250 sc, 2 litre/ha
by a yellow halo on leaves
and elongated on stems.
Soreshin Decay of stalk below soil Drench seedbeds with Baytan 15% wp 2 days
level before pulling
Black Shank Wilting in field and Propamocarb-HCL (Previcure N), 60 ml/litre
yellowing of bottom leaves. water
Base of stem blackened and Metalaxyl 68 MZ (Ridomil 68 MZ), 200g/litre of
if split longitudinally pith is water
laddered
Mosaic Dark green and chlorotic Resistant cultivars plus sanitation
light green areas on leaves.
 Also curling, mottling,
distortion and blistering of
leaves plus dwarfing of
plant
Rossette and Bushy Mottling of leaves and vein Transmitted by aphids
Top distortion leading to
backward and downward
curling of leaves. Plants
look bushy because of
excessive growth of side
shoots.
Leaf Curl Veins thicken on lower leaf Transmitted by whitefly

 Cutworm infestation, early and late: keep land free from weeds for at least a
month before planting.
 Apply the material as a drench to wet the soil round the base of the plant, using up
to two 30 fertiliser cups per plant.
Output per hour per labourer treating plants against cutworms:
Level of
productivity- 100 90 80 75 70 60
% of
standard
Plants per
hour per 1 060 955 850 795 740 635
labourer
For planning purposes use figures below 75% of standard. Outputs may be halved if two
applications per plant are required (late infestation)
Aphids:
 Granules: Disulfoton 5% granules at 45kg/ha (3g/plant) or Menazone granules at
90 kg/ha (6g/plant)
Sprays:
 Dementon-s-methyl 50% e.c 150 ml/100litre water, Dimethoate 40% ec
375ml/100 litres water, Menazon 70% DP 300g/100 litres water
 Apply to Dec and Jan plantings at weekly intervals for three weeks, starting one
week after planting.
 Rate of application is 200 litres/ha. Add 33 % more active ingredient/ha for aerial
spraying.
Budworms:
 Can be controlled by hand picking, but this should not be attempted where mosaic
is troublesome. If hand picking cannot restrict the infestation to 10 caterpillars per
100 plants or less spray with:
 Acephate 75% sp 90g/100 litres water: Monocrotophhos 40% sp, 110/100 litres
water
 Methamkidophos –40% wsc, 350/100 litres water
 Penetration of bud is essential. High volume application- 250 litre/ha, through flat
fan nozzle – minimum pressure three bars, held 15 cm above heart of plant e.g.
 application will be achieved with FS8 or 504 nozzle, moving along the row at
1m/sec.
Crickets:
 Use discarded seedlings dipped in either Trichlorform 95% sp-10g/100 litres
water. Distribute the treated seedlings or maize meal bait in the late afternoon,
especially near obvious cricket holes.
Lace worms:
 Control by hand –picking but when more than eight worm/100 plants spray using
Methomyl 90% sp, 333g/ha.
Leaf Miners;
 Monocrotophos –40 % wsc, 190m/100 litres water. Apply over plants-small plants
150 litre/ha and large plants 3000 litre/ha
 Three applications at weekly intervals will be required to eradicate severe
infestations.
Lesser armyworm:
 Spray Acephate 75% sp-180g/100 litre water or;
 Methomyl 90% sp – 110g/100 litre water
Stinkbugs and loopers;
 Hand picking is usually sufficient. Severe infestations spray Monocrotophos –40
% wsc, 800 ml/ha.
White grubs and False wireworms:
 Can be controlled culturally by early ploughing, planting and grass rotations.
 Where they are troublesome, apply Chlorpyrifos –48% ec in planting water at
minimum of 500 ml/plant. For one ha at 115 000 plants/ha, require 50 ml of the
concentrate.
Topping and Suckering
By hand
Topping plants in bud stage, one row at a time.
% to be Level of productivity-%of standard metres of ridge per labourer in eight hours.
topped
100% 90% 80% 75% 70% 60%
10 27 100 24 400 21 700 20 300 18 950 16 250
20 21 900 19 700 17 500 16 400 15 300 13 150
30 18 600 16 750 14 900 13 940 13 000 11 150
40 15 900 14 300 13 700 11 900 22 250 9 550
50 14 050 12 650 11 250 10 550 9 850 8 450
60 12 400 11 150 9 900 9 300 8 700 7 450
70 11 100 10 000 9 000 8 350 7 800 6 000
80 10 000 9 000 8 000 7 500 7 000 6 650
90 9 250 8 350 7 400 6 950 6 500 5 550
100 8 500 7 700 6 850 6 400 6 000 5 150

Output for various methods of applying suckercide

Method of Level of productivity-% standard
application
100% 90% 80% 75% 70%
To two leaves in a 865 780 690 650 605 520
split application
from one measure
cup
With tipping bottle 915 825 730 685 640 550
(Kurt type
applicator)
With measuring cup 1 015 915 810 760 710 610
in one application
over top of stem
From bottle with 1 020 920 815 765 710 610
plunger
With 1 020 920 815 765 715 610
handgun(Manipular,
windmill etc
With boom, 850 725 645 605 565 485
handgun and tractor
equipment
For planning purposes always use figures below 75% of stem card
Reaping
Tying methods
 Single strings: untying slow unless the string is cut. If cut, use expendable string
(expensive)
 Double string-over stick: causes most damage and fallout.
 Double string under stick, horizontal and vertical string hanging: causes less
damage, use re-usable string.
 Tilita clips; minimum damage and fall out, but untying is slow.
 Manipular clips; untying is fast. Possible damage or breakage of large mid-ribs.
Information on string
String M/kg Breaking strain kg Finish Comments
T1 623 25 Glazed Sold in spools of 500g and 2.5kg.
Normally used for sewing bales. When use
a substitute for T2 it unravels badly on
reuse
T2 364 27 Glazed Sold in spools of 500g and 2.5kg.
Commonly used for and horizontal string
hanging of tobacco in the barn
T9 1 260 7 Unglazed Sold in spools of 500g only. Most
commonly used with sticks. Too weak for
horizontal hanging of tobacco in barns.
Normally cut when untying, but can be re
used
T22 648 20 Unglazed Sold in spools of 500g only. Suitable for
horizontal hanging and re- use. Better than
T12.
T13 296 11 Glazed Sold in spools of 500g only. Normally used
with Oriental Tobacco
T410 3 940 3 Unglazed May cut too much with single string tying
T480 738 14 Unglazed Expensive compared with T22

Outputs
 Kurt machine, using string
Output per reaper per hour at 75% of standard, 102 leaves per string
Position on Average number of leaves per plant
plant
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
9 11 13 13 14 15
Bottom
Middle 12 16 17 18 19 19
Top 13 16 17 18 19 19
With a proper land layout (including parallel), it should be possible for two reapers to
share one waiter.
 Short clips
Output per reaper per hour at 75% of standard 45 leaves per clip.
Position on
plant Average number of leaves per plant
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Bottom 16 24 31 36 39 39
Middle 17 27 32 37 39 39
Top 19 29 34 38 40 40

With proper layout, it should be possible for two reapers to share one waiter
Position on Average number of leaves per plant
plant
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Bottom 13 14 16 16 17 17
Middle 16 17 18 19 19 19
Top 19 20 21 23 24 24
Allow one waiter for every two reapers.
Traditional reaping (for bulk curers
 The output per reaper in bundles per hour at 75% of standard is 102 leaves per
bundle or equivalent.
Position on Average number of leaves per plant
plant
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Bottom 8 16 20 24 25 28
Middle 8 16 21 27 29 31
Top 11 22 28 32 34 34
 Allow one waiter for every reaper.
 Barns; Barn to land ratio for standard barns, at least on 5m x 5m x 8 Tiers for
every 1.5 –2.0 ha
Rule of thumb: allow one standard barn (5m x 5m x 8 tiers) per day for every 10
hectare of tobacco grown. A 40 hectare crop will require 6 x 4 = 24 barns if barn
turn round time is seven days.
Barn spacing and capacities
Barn size No. bays Spacing Tiers per barn
between
strings, clips
or sticks
7 8 9 10
Strings or sticks
5m x 5m 4 200mm 700 800 900 1 000
5m x 6m 4 200mm 840 960 1 080 1 200
6m x 5m 5 200mm 875 1 000 1 125 1 250
6m x 6m 5 200mm 1 050 1 200 1 350 1 500

Long clips
5m x 5m 5 200mm 875 1 000 1 125 1 250
5m x 6m 5 200mm 1 050 1 200 1 350 1 500
6m x 5m 6 200mm 1 050 1 200 1 350 1 500
6m x 6m 6 200mm 1 260 1 400 1 600 1 800

Strings or sticks
5m x 5m 4 225mm 616 704 792 880
5m x 6m 4 225mm 728 832 936 1 040
6m x 5m 5 225mm 770 880 990 1 100
6m x 6m 5 225mm 910 1 040 1 170 1 300

Long clips
5m x 5m 5 225mm 710 880 990 1 100
5m x 6m 5 225mm 910 1 040 1 170 1 300
6m x 5m 6 225mm 924 1 056 1 188 1 320
6m x 6m 6 225mm 1 092 1 248 1 404 1 560

Long clips, stagger packer

5m x 5m 5 175mm 980 1 120 1 260 1 400
5m x 6m 5 175mm 1 190 1 360 1 530 1 700
6m x 5m 6 175mm 1 176 1 344 1 521 1 680
6m x 6m 6 175mm 1 428 1 632 1 836 1 040
Vertical 5 per stick 2 layers 3 layers
string
5m x 5m 4 300mm 640 960
5m x 6m 4 300mm 800 1 200
6m x 5m 5 300mm 800 1 200
6m x 6m 5 300mm 1 000 1 500
Summary of barn loading methods
Method Minimum labour per team Output per team per hour
For 8 tier barn Based on packer (75% of
Standard)
Horizontal string and Packer + 2 labourers. A 140
Rope method Balanced team consists of
2 packers and 3 waiters at
280 strings/hr per team
Horizontal string, hand P+5 260
To hand
Horizontal string and conduit P+3 300
Vertical string and rope P+2 155
Method
Vertical string, hand to hand P+3 390
Long clips, hand to hand P+5 330
output can be increased to 480 if
intermediate labour assists with
packing
Sticks and double short clips, P+5 320
hand to hand see also above
Loading trailer for bulk Loading press in land + 3 Loading bulk curer. Driver + 2
Curer labourers. Loading trailer in general workers. Time to load
Land = 2 labourers bulk curers: 75 – 95 min
depending on method

CURING LABOUR
Barns, hand stoked : 10 –12 barns per labourer
Barns, auto stoked : 15 – 18 barns per labourer
Tunnel, Chongololo, bulk : 1 labourer per shift. Trolleys may be moved at shift
Change-over time so that two workers are available
for moving trolleys.
Coal consumption
Hand stoked; 3 kg coal to 1 kg cured tobacco
Heat exchanger; 1.25kg coal to 1 kg cured tobacco

Wood furnaces hand stoked. Allow 3 m3/100 kg of cured tobacco

Summary of barn unloading method
Method Minimum labour per team Output per team per hour
For 8 tier barn Based on packer (75% of
Standard
Horizontal string and Unloader + 1 final passer + 430
Rope method, 5 strings per Waiters or trolley 2 labourers are
Occasion needed to load
The trolley
Vertical string, rope method, 5 U + 1 plus waiters or trolley 660
strings per occasion
Sticks or clips, hand to hand U + 3 plus waiters. Only one 530
worker needed to load trolley if
used
Clips from tunnel trolley, 3 labourers in team at 810 clips 810
Hand to hand per hour per team
Unloading bulk curer Team of three + one cleaning Time per curer of 1162 trays = 90
(including transport) fallen leaves min

Final Operations
The following figures may be used as a guide. All outputs at 75% of standard:
Unclipping long talita clips 115 clips/ha/lab.
Unclipping short talita clips 130 clips/ha/lab
Unclipping manipular clips 190 clips/ha/lab.
Untying reusable string 120 strings/ha/lab/
 Unclip and temporary store contents, 110 min for team of two for team of two for
162 bulk curer trays.
String bulking; two labourers can place 260 strings/hr.Slate packing; two labourers can
place 225 strings or equivalent in bundles per hour including pressing and bale moving.
BULKING
Rough bales
Average size in mm; 900 x 600 x 600.
Maximum mass; 50 – 55 kg for lugs and primings
55 – 60 kg for cutters
60 – 70 kg for leaf
 Rough bales should not be stored more than three deep and should be turned at
regular intervals. Space requirements 350 kg/m2.
 Loose leaf bulks; not higher than 2 m settled height
 Allow 200 – 250 kg/m2, exclusive of pathway

Stick bulks
Temporary; 15 m2 per 1000 sticks
Permanent; 120 – 150 kg/m2 for bulks 3.5m high.
Slate packs; 600 mm square pack holds +- 45kg
750mm square pack holds +- 67.5kg
When packed five deep, allow 625 kg/m2
Clip bulks (775 mm clips); allow 140 – 150 clips/m2

Grading
 Allow approximately 100 grading days for the crop. One grader can grade at least
50 kg of tobacco a day.
 Up to twice as much tobacco may be graded off the string. Allow one ‘check –
waiter’ for every five graders. Have one ‘Super check” or Master Grader.
 As a rough guide use half the number of labourers for tying as there are graders.
Include a leaf issuer, conditioning labourer, boiler attendant and the labourer
working on the bulks. It may be necessary to have a sweeper to keep the shade
clean. The output of a shade must be in excess of 20 kg per day per person
involved.
 A grader can handle between 7 500 and 10 000 leaves per day.
 A baling team consists of three labourers who can bale and sew two to three bales
per hour.
 The flow through the shade must be logical and continuous. Use as few grades as
possible. To calculate the output of a grader uses the following formula:

7 500
……………………. =kg/grader/day
No. of leaves per kg
 Crop uniformity and the facility with which tobacco may be graded are
determined by many managerial factors. Thus land selection, preparation,
 fertilizing, planting, reaping, curing and storage, all contribute towards the
relative ease, or otherwise, of grading.
 Leaf from different lands, different reapings and different barns should be kept
separate.

Grades

The farmer should keep the number of grades down to a minimum of twelve to
fifteen.
 “Sample grading” by the farmer should be done daily.
Each leaf should be graded according to the following criteria:
Leaf type colour factor quality length
Primings White Clean (degree of factor, Short or long
Black guinea fowl waste or injury) (may be done by
Green Guinea fowl 1. good to fair check grader)
Lugs Lemon Spot 2. fair to
(Do not mix) medium
Ponge 3. balance
Slate
Leaf Orange Water stain See tying below
Harsh
High maturity
Tips Open grained
Close grained
Mahogany Slick
Greenish
Slightly discoloured
(Bad barn rot should
Green be stripped)

Tying hands
 Tolerance for leaf length in a hand.
 Where the leaf length is less than 400 mm, not more than 75 mm variation of leaf
lengths within the hand is permitted. Where leaf length is over 400 mm, not more
than 125 mm variation in length is permitted.
Butt diameter; This may vary between 25 mm and 28 mm, whilst binder measurements
may vary between 37 mm and 43 mm from the butt.
Output; 85 hands/ tyer/ hour.
Loose leaf; Growers may present their tobacco for sale in loose leaf form, subject to the
following provisions;
 the tobacco must be properly graded
 the leaves must be straight laid and unbroken
 Burley tobacco leaves must be under 230 mm in length
 The length variation within the bale must not exceed 75mm for leaf under
400mm, and 125mm for leaf over 400mm.

Baling
Baling boxes; internal measurements should be 860 mm x 610 mm.
  Bale height; all +- 30 mm height of bale for every five kg of tobacco, depending
on leaf type.
 Bale markings; Numerals to be 75 mm high, except where the bale mass is less
than 30 kg when 50 mm high numerals are acceptable.
 Bale mass; Minimum 25 kg; maximum 110 kg nett, or 27 kg to 112 kg gross
Wrapping materials;
 Hessian; Length of material: (Where one piece used; 2.8m, Where two pieces
used; 1.4m per piece; Width of material: 1.35 m: Mass of material: 340 g/m2:
Waterproof paper: Mass per roll = 17.2 kg)
 Where used, identify with a black cross, marked from corner to corner, on the lot
number ticket sewn to the side of the bale, so that the tare mass may be adjusted
by the floors.
 Polythene sheet: alternative to paper, minimum thickness; 150 micrometer.
Baling output:
 10 minutes per team of two for 25 kg bale
 14 minutes per team of two for 50 kg bale
 20 minutes per team of two for 90 kg bale
 24 minutes per team of two for 120 kg bale
 Steam: steam pressure should be 1.7 bars – 2.8 bars for conditioning
 Sewing output;
 28 minutes per sewer per bale of 61 – 120 kg
 25 minutes per sewer per bale of 31 – 60 kg
 23 minutes per sewer per bale of 25 –30 kg

Grading Shed requirements

 Grading table should be 1.8m across x 1.2m or 4.5 m²of floor area per grader and
the optimum working height when standing should be 93 cm above ground.
 Check grading trolley should be 0.9 m across x 0.6 m x 0.9 m.
 Blending table should be 2 m x 1.2 m.
 Grade boxes should be 1.2 m x 1.2 m for each tyer.
 Baling area should be 35 m².
 Bale store should be 150 kg/m² excluding passages.
 Allow 450 mm for people sitting or standing beside tables, or 300 mm in the case
of cut-out tables.
 Passages must be wide enough to allow free movement (i.e. trolleys)

Shed Lighting
 The ideal requirement is 400 lux at the grading surface (although a minimum of
250 lux is acceptable
Natural light: South facing is best. 15% of roof should be transparent over the grading
areas and 10% over the areas. Even light distribution is best achieved by using small
roof-light sheets.

Artificial light
Fitting: Single 1.2 m power factor correct industrial fitting with reflector
Type: 1.2 m, 40 watt fluorescent colour matching or north light tube of British
manufacture or daylight No. 55 or 57 of Continental manufacture.
Mounting height: Mount fittings, 1.2 m above grading tables, grade boxes and wherever
final inspection is carried out. Over other areas mount at 2.9 m above floor.
Spacing: A 1.2 m 40 watt tube gives 250 lux over an area of 1.5 m x 1.2 m. A 1.5 m 80
watt tube at 1.8 m above table covers 2.4 x 1.5 m. N.B When using artificial light, black
out all natural light.
Maintenance: Wipe reflectors and tubes daily. When tubes begin to fail, replace all tubes
in one area. Re-use those that are still operational in the general lighting area.
Relationship between crop size and grading area for flue cured tobacco
Possible factors leading to yield reduction
Crop stage Timing Remarks
Germination 0 – 7 days
Planting out 8 – 12 weeks Optimum time 20th October to
10th November. Yield loss/week
from 10th - 30th Nov = 3.5%,
thereafter = 7%/week
Weeding Critical time 4 – 6 weeks after In wet years poor weed control at
planting this stage can lead to 40%
reduction in yield
In dry years similar reduction can
occur through over cultivation
Topping 8 – 10 weeks after planting Delays reduce yield 5 – 8% per
week and will affect grade
Reaping If lower one third of plant colours
in 48 – 72 hours+,, reaping is
ripe. If top two thirds of plant
colours in 36 – 48 hours +,
reaping is ripe. If colouring takes
place in less time, this indicates
over-ripe reaping and can lead to
a 6% loss in mass per day for
every day over ripe.
Curing Weight loss of 10% per day over
7 days of cure
Marketing
General information on graders
A grade mark consists of 3, 4 or five symbols. The first indicates the position on the
plant, strip or scrap.
i.e P -Primings T - Tips
X -Lugs A -Strips
L -Leaf B -Scrap
The second indicates the quality; 1 – 5 for P, X, L and 1 - 3 for T, A, B. the third symbol
indicates the colour i.e.
L - Lemon R -Light mahogany
E - Pale lemon S -Dark mahogany
O - Orange D -Walnut
The fourth and fifth symbols are extra factors which are sometimes added i.e.

A -Spot O -Scotched
 D -Droughted (harsh) V -Greenish
F -High maturity W -Waterstained
G -Green Y -Guinea fowl spot
J -Water stained thin Z -Slick
K - Sub standard (variegated)
Other marks
If the bale is not sold these marks show the reason why:
MR -Mixed hand NG -No grade
BMR -Mixed leaves SR -Stem rot
BGR -Badly handled NDR -Undeclared split
LR -Mouldy RR -Rejected
HR -Funked NR -No sale
U -Unsound DR -Damaged
Selling expenses (one bale = 90 kg)
 handling fee of 40 cents per bale
 three percent commission
 Levy 0.72 c/kg + 0.72 percent of value

Hail and Wind Insurance

Consult ZTA, Jupiter etc
Summary of labour days and fuel inputs –flue cured tobacco production
Standard Mammoth
Plant population 15 000 15 000
Av. No. leaves per plant 18 21
Reaping period 9 weeks 11 weeks

Basic operations: all figures at 75% of standard

Dryland Irrigated
Operation Labour days Fuel – litres/ha Labour days per Fuel – litres/ha
per ha ha
Seedbeds (D + 20) 25.95 0.75 25.95 0.75
Apply lime (D + 2) 0.34 3.00 0.34 3.00
Plough (D) 0.34 26.00 0.34 26.00
Disc (D) 0.28 9.50 0.28 9.50
Herbicide and disc (D 0.28 6.00 0.28 6.00
+ 1)
Ridge, fertilise and 0.74 15.00 0.74 15.00
fumigate single row (D
+ 2)
Hole plant stations (F 1.57 0.25 1.57 0.25
+ 12)
Planting, water cart 19.37 20.00 19.37 20.00
with 6 hoses (D+F+19)
Reridging (x2 )(D) 0.46 22.00 0.46 22.00
Cultivate by hand (x2) 8.35 0.50 8.35 0.50
(F+15)
Topdressing (min x2) 14.77 0.50 14.77 0.50
(F+12)
Pest and disease 4.80 3.00 4.80 3.00
control (C+4)
Budworm control 2.71 0.50 2.71 0.50
(C+12)
Topping (single row) 1.24 0.75 1.24 0.75
(F+6)(min 3 occ)
Apply suckercide 2.86 0.25 2.86 0.25
(F+6)
Irrigation (C+6) - - 10.00 4.50
Remove stalks by hand 3.33 0.25 3.33 0.25
(F+12)
Disc regrowth (D) 0.28 9.50 0.28 9.50
Sow grass (D+2) 0.34 3.00 0.34 3.00
Cover seed (D) 0.26 6.00 0.26 6.00
Commuting - 4.00 - 4.00
Total basic at 75% 88.27 130.75 98.27 135.25
Allow 20l Fuel/ha for harvesting all methods.
Summary of labour days input – Flue cured tobacco production
Harvesting
Operation Labour days per hectare
Standard variety (9 weeks) Mammoth variety (11 weeks)
Reapers to waiters Reapers to waiters
2:1 1:1 2:1 1:1
Reaping for based on 100 000 leaves per barn
stadard barns
using:
Strings 39.03 51.95 43.67 58.27
Long clips 43.24 57.56 48.01 64.03
Short clips 36.00 48.16 40.16 53.49
Sticks - 72.02 - 80.73
Reaping for Based on 120 000 Leaves/barn
chongololos using:
Strings 37.77 48.61 41.99 53.35
Long clips 45.77 60.93 50.83 67.68
Short clips 41.84 53.35 46.61 59.25
Reaping for Based on 140 000 Leaves/barn
tunnels
Long clips 45.35 58.27 50.40 64.87
Reaping for Tilden Based on 140 000 Leaves/barn
and mechanical
batch curers
Long clips 45.49 60.65 50.55 67.39
Reaping for Based on 140 000 Leaves/barn
standard long low,
using:
Strings 36.92 40.29 43.11 54.89
Long clips 45.07 60.23 50.12 66.83
Short clips 37.77 50.40 41.99 55.73
Reaping for bulk - 33.28 - 36.92
curer using trays
For budgetary purposes add 10% for contingencies to any of the above figures
Summary of labour days and fuel inputs – flue cured tobacco production
Operation Labour days per ha Fuel litres per ha
Loading standard Standard varieties Mammoth Standard varieties Mammoth
barns using:
Chongololo using 6.17 8.13
(i) Rope
String –hand to 9.55 12.49
hand
Conduit with 5.75 7.57 20.25 24.75
string
Long clips hand to 4.63 5.89
hand
Short clips hand to 7.44 9.68
hand
Sticks hand to 6.45 8.56
hand
Long low barns
Rope with string 6.03 7.72
Hand to hand with 9.12 11.77 20.25 24.75
string
Conduit with 5.61 7.16
string
Long clip hand to 5.61 7.16
hand
Tilden batch
Long clips hand to 5.33 6.60 20.25 24.75
hand
Mechanical batch
Long clips, hand to 5.33 6.60 20.25 24.75
hand
Tunnel
Long clips on 5.33 6.60 20.25 24.75
trolleys
Bulk curers trays 0.99 1.12 20.25 24.75
Summary of Labour Day input – Flue cured tobacco production
Curing
Operation Standard varieties Mammoth
Standard barns
Hand stoked 10.80 13.20
Auto stocked 7.20 8.00
Long lows
Hand stoked 16.13 19.87
Auto stocked 10.80 13.20
Chongololo(long low or standard)
Tunnel bulk and batch curers 5.47 6.67
For budgetary purposes add 10% for contingencies to any of the above figures

Summary of Labour Day input – flue cured tobacco production

Unloading and untying
Operation Labour days per hectare
Standard varieties Mammoth varieties
Unloadi Untying Total Unloading Untying Total
ng
Standard barns
I. strings 0.61 12.96 13.75 0.81 16.27 17.08
ii. long clips 1.72 4.63 6.35 2.27 5.89 8.16
iii. short clips 1.87 5.95 7.82 2.43 7.75 10.18
iv. sticks 0.97 1.93 2.90 1.28 2.57 3.85
Chongololo
I. strings 0.61 12.35 12.96 0.81 16.27 17.08
ii. long clips 1.72 5.75 7.47 2.27 7.57 9.84
iii. short clips 1.83 5.84 7.67 2.43 7.57 10.18
Long low barn
I. strings 0.60 12.65 12.65 0.77 15.44 16.21
ii. long clips 1.68 5.61 5.61 2.51 7.16 9.31
Tilden batch
Long clips 0.96 2.24 3.20 1.45 2.64 4.09
Mechanical batch clips 0.96 2.24 3.20 1.45 2.64 4.09
Tunnel long clips 0.96 2.24 3.20 1.45 2.64 4.09
Bulk curer trays 0.25 - 0.25 0.28 - 0.28

For budgetary purposes add 10% for contingencies to any of the above figures
Summary of Labour Day input – flue cured tobacco production
Bulking/slate packing
Operation Yield
1 600 kg 2 000 kg 2 500kg 3 000 kg
Rough baling (includes sowing) 3.20 4.0 4.93 6.0
Slate packing
I. using 70kg packs 2.24 2.88 3.52 4.32
ii. using 45kg packs 3.73 4.80 5.87 7.20
String bulking Standard varieties Mammoth varieties
Loose leaf bulking
Standard barns
i. strings or sticks 2.47 3.25
ii. long clips 3.24 4.12
iii. short clips 5.59 7.27
Chongololo
i. strings or sticks 2.47 2.35
ii. long clips 3.21 4.24
iii. short clips 5.47 7.27
Long-lows
i. string 2.41 3.09
ii. long clips 3.15 4.01
Tilden/mechanical batch
i. long clips 4.27 5.28
Tunnel
i. long clips 3.31 4.09
Bulk curer
Trays 1.79 2.93
For budgetary purposes add 10% for contingencies to any of the above figures
Summary of Labour Day input – flue cured tobacco production
Grading, including tying, sewing and despatch (based on yield)
Operation Labour days per hectare based on yield
1 600 2 000 2 500 3 000
Grade ,tie, sew, 71.33 72.8 84.26 84.26
bale and dispatch
Cassava
Scientific name: Manihot esculenta Crantz
Shona name: mufarinya, mujumbura
Ndebele: Umjumbula
Climatic requirements
 Cassava is a drought tolerant starchy, root crop which yields well under marginal
conditions.
 It grows well in areas with an annual well distributed rainfall of 750 – 1000 mm
but can tolerate low rainfall.
 It prefers high temperatures of 25- 29˚C.
Soil requirements
 Performs best in deep well drained, light textured soils of intermediate fertility.
 Has high tolerance to acidity and optimum pH is between 4.5 and 6.5
Seed
 It is propagated from stem cuttings
Seed rates
 A plant population of 10 000 plants per hectare is economic and gives a good crop
 . Stem cuttings for seed should be 25 – 30 cm long i.e. 5-7 nodes
Spacing and depth of planting
 It is planted on ridges about 1m apart but may be planted on flat land in deep sand
soils..
 Spacing is 80- 100 cm within and between ridges.
 2/3 of the cutting must be buried in the ground and the remaining part exposed
above the ground.
Soil fertility and fertilizer management
 Applied 300kg/h of Compound C (6:17:15).
 Optimum N application is 60kg/ha .
Yield potential
 High yielding improved varieties can yield up to 50t/ha (fresh weight)..
Weed management and Control
It requires 2 hand weeding. First at 3-4weeks and then at 7-8 weeks after planting.
Diseases
 Cassava Mosaic Disease is a potential threat in areas with white flies and
farmers should use healthy planting material or plant a range of cassava
cultivars to mitigate against disease outbreaks.
Insect Pests
 Cassava Green mite and Cassava Mealy Bug are potential threats to cassava.
There is need to use tolerant varieties.
 Termites are also a problem especially during dry season.
Harvesting and storage
 Most varieties mature at 12 months after planting however some can be harvested
as early as 9 months.
 Harvested tubers are highly perishable and can not be store for more than 2 days
in fresh form.
Sweet Potato Production
Time of Planting
 Where there is irrigation and no frost dangers, planting can be done throughout
the year.
 However where rainfall is less than 1000mm it should be done early with the
onset of the rains..
Varieties
 Improved varieties include brondal and cordner.
 Local varieties include chizou and chigogo.

Soil Requirements
 Well drained sandy to loamy soils.
 Soil pH from 5 to 6.3.
 If pH goes below 5.0 then liming will be necessary.

Climatic Requirements
 Prefers high temperatures of 24 to 29ºC.
 Vines are killed by winter frost.
 Requires relatively high light intensity. Requires 750- 1000 mm of rainfall / year

Planting
 Planting is done on mounds of about 20 cm to 30 cm high. Intra row is 20 cm and
inter row is 90 cm, but for low rainfall areas wider spacing is recommended.
 It can also be done on ridges or flat land
 Two thirds of the cutting should be in the ground and one third exposed. Plant at a
45-degree angle for increased yields.
 40 000 cuttings are needed per hectare and cuttings should be 5 to 7 nodes long.
Terminal cuttings produce the highest yields.
 The cutting should be at an angle of 45º and should have between half and two
thirds in the soil.

Fertilisation
 60 kg nitrogen per hectare in natural region 1 and natural region 2. Apply in splits,
half at planting and the other half a month later.
 Also apply 300 kg per hectare of compound D.
 They respond well to organic manuring.
Propagation
 Usually propagated by vine cuttings, slips or roots.
 Propagation material should be taken from a vigorously growing disease free
stock.
 Vine cuttings should be 30-40 cm.
Irrigation
  When rainfall is less than 750 mm during the growing season or if the distribution
is poor supplementary irrigation is required.
 Overwatering must be avoided at the later stage of growth since it causes
extensive vine growth at the expense of root development.
Weeding
 Weed at 4 to 8 weeks after planting.
 Herbicides like Naptalam, Alachlor and Sencor can be used.
Harvesting
 Lifting can start about 120 days after planting though some cultivars take up to 240 days.
 Roots are suitable for lifting when the cut surface dries to a white colou.r
 The plough or potato harvester may be used to harvest but they cause damage so forks or
spades are more advantageous.
 After harvesting the roots are left on the land for 2-3 days to suberise.

Yield Potential
 19t per hectare fresh yield.
 High yielding varieties can reach up to 50t per hectare.
Storage
 They do not store well after harvesting so it is advisable to dig up tubers when
they are required.
 After harvesting and curing the tubers can be placed in a basket and covered by
grass or banana leaves and placed in a pit lined with grass.
Insect Pests
Sweet potato weevil
 The weevil tunnels tubers resulting in secondary bacterial and fungal infection.
 The adult female bores into the stem or root and deposits an egg in the hole.
 After hatching the larva moves to a storage root which enters and feds upon the
root tissue until it pupates.
 Use healthy material and get rid of infected tubers for control.
 Rotations can also control pests.
 Carbaryl can also be used to control the pest.
Nematodes
 They attack roots and they are controlled by using resistant varieties.
Sweet potato butterfly
 Prevalent in dry season.
 The caterpillar feeds on leaves leaving only skeletons of primary midribs.
 Complete defoliation can occur
Diseases
Sweet Potato Mosaic Virus Disease
 It causes vine clearing chlorosis, puckering, leaf strapping, leaf curl and stunting.
 Control is by burning all affected plants
1. Scurf
2. Charcoal rot
3. Tuber rot
Horticulture
Planting Calendar for Vegetables
Ja Fe Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Beet root
Brinjal (egg
plant)
Broccoli
Butternut
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chillies
Green beans
Green mealies
Lettuce
Marrow (baby)
Onion
Peas
Peppers
Potato
Squash
Squash (germ)
Squash
(marrow)
Tomato
Water melon
Carrots (Daucus carota)
Climatic Requirements
Temperature
 Optimum production temperature is 15 –21 0C.
 At high temperatures, above 25 0C the growth is slower and short thicker roots
with pale colour are produced.
Soils
 Plant in deep, rich light soils.
 Insufficiently decomposed manure and stony soils cause forking in carrots.
 The soil pH ranges from 5.5-6.8. Acid soils must be avoided.
Planting
 The crop is sown in situ.
 Can be grown all year round but the best time to plant is May to July.
 Carrots may be drilled in or broadcast but should be thinned after 1 month to
leave 3– 6 cm apart. The sowing should be at the rate of 3-8 kg/ha.
Fertilization
 Before sowing apply a basal fertilizer of 100– 200kg / ha Compound D.
 . Manure may be incorporated at a rate of 10-20 tonnes per hectare at sowing.
 Top dressing should be done after 20– 40 days of sowing applying 150 kg of AN.
Irrigation
Supply 35 mm –55 mm every 7-14 days
Cultivar selection
Variety Days to maturity Maturity Category
Kuroda 70 - 120 Medium
Chantenay 70 - 120 Medium
Nantes 70 - 120 Medium
Laguna 85 - 95 Early
Star 3006 85 - 95 Early
NB: Buy seed from a recognised seed dealer. Keep the pack together with the paper
found inside
Weed Management
 Care should be taken in weeding to avoid damaging roots
 Weeds can be kept under control by mechanical means.
Insect Pest Management
Pest Symptom Control
Aphids Sucking pests Dimethoate 40EC at
Leaves wilt and turn yellow 10ml/10L of water.

Nematodes Attack the root and cause Crop rotation and use of
slow growth resistant plants and soil
Tubers are deformed, disinfection
forked or stringy
NB: For details on chemicals, consult your local AEW or chemical representative. For
rate of application refer to container
Diseases
Disease Symptoms Control
Powdery Mildew Whitish growth on leaf Application of sulphur in the form
under surface and later of Dithane M45 at 30g/15l water or
whitish spot appear on both Benomyl at 30 ml/15 l water
leaf and stem surface.
Leaf Blight Blackening of foliage which Dithane M45 20g/ 10L
subsequently dies Copper oxychloride 85% wp
200g/100L every 7 – 10 days
Bacterial Soft Rot Reduce the carrots to a soft Growing carrots in well drained
slimy mass soils,
Rotation– do not follow carrots after
lettuce or cabbage.
The roots must be kept well
ventilated after lifting
Harvesting
 Done after 3 months, ideally when the roots are more than 2 cm diameter.
 A plough must loose the soil first. Harvest during cooler day times and keep in a
cool place or sprinkled with water to maintain the fresh state.
 The tops are cut off and carrots are packaged in transparent film bags to increase
shelf life.
 The expected yield is > 25 tonnes per hectare with good management.
Storage
 The crop can be stored for 6 months at about 0 oC and relative humidity of 93-
98 %..
Cabbage
Climatic Requirements
 Requires daytime temperatures ranging between 160C and 240C.
 Mature plants can tolerate temperatures of –30C for a very short period.
Soil Requirements
 Can be grown in well drained soils, provided they are adequately fertilised and
well supplied with organic matter (manure).
 Slightly acidic to neutral soils are required with a pH range of 6.5 - 7, and with a
good water holding capacity.
Land Preparation
The soil should be worked to a fine tilth.
Planting
Highveld - August to April
Lowveld - January to May.
 Certified disease-free seed should be used.
 Retained seed should be heat treated at 500C for 25 minutes to eliminate seed
borne diseases. The seed should then be dried and dusted with 2 g Thiram/kg
seed.
 Sow seed in seedbeds using a rate of 300-450 g for one hectare.
 The seedbeds are treated with 60 g of compound sand and 3 kg manure per m2.
 It takes 7 - 14 days from germination to emergence
 Emergence to transplanting it will take four to eight weeks depending on variety.
 Harden seedlings and transplant when they are 10 - 15 cm tall
 Transplant with the roots intact and irrigate immediately after transplanting to
reduce transplanting shock.
 Only healthy and vigorous seedlings should be used and transplanting should take
place in cool overcast weather or late in the afternoon.
Spacing
The recommended spacing is shown in the table below and vary depending on the variety
of cabbage grown.
Variety In-row Between Population/ha
(mm) rows (mm)
Early 300 450 74 000
450 450 49 300
Mid-season 450 500 44 400
500 600 33 300
Late 450 750 29 600
600 750 22 200
Fertilisation
 A basal dressing of 1000 kg/ha compound S is recommended or manure can be
used at a rate of 25-50 tonnes/ha.
 Topdressing using ammonium nitrate is done using a rate of 100 kg/ha. This is
applied twice at three weekly intervals after transplanting.
Irrigation
Irrigation schedule for cabbage
Assumed planting First month of Remainder of
Out date planting out growing period
(Days) (Days)
Application of 35 mm net per irrigation
April 12 8
August 8 5
December 10 6
Application of 45 mm net per irrigation
April 16 10
August 10 6
December 12 8
Cultivar Selection
Variety Days to maturity Maturity Category
Golden Cultivar 65 – 90 Early
Cape Spitz 75 – 110 Medium
Copenhagen Market 70 - 110 Medium
Drumhead 120 - 160 Late
Adelita F1 hybrid 71 - 80 Early
Rotan F1 Hybrid 70 - 80 Early
Star 3311 F1 Hybrid 75 - 85 Early
Green Coronet F1 Hybrid 120 - 140 Late
Star 3315 F1 Hybrid 90 - 100 Medium
Klabishi F1 Hybrid 90 - 100 Medium
Marcanta F1 Hybrid 70 - 80 Early
Weed Control
Weed Chemical LR/SR (Long/short Stage of application
residual effect)
Annual and certain Trifluralin Residual for Cross-disced into soil before
broad leaf weeds approximately 4 transplanting.
months
Annual and certain Lasso Residual for 6 –8 After first transplanting
broad leaf weeds weeks irrigation but before weeds
emerge
Annual and Fusilade Apply after weed emergence
Perennial grasses Super
NB: For details on chemicals, consult your local AEW or chemical representative. For
rate of application refer to container
Insect Pest Management
PEST SYMPTOMS CONTROL
Bagrada bug Leaves wither and young plants Dichlorvos 5% EC at 200 ml/100 litres
may even be killed if the attack is water, or Parathion 25 WP at 125g/100
severe litres water.

Cabbage Small soft-bodied sucking insects Dimethoate 40% EC at 75ml/100 litres

Aphids that feed on the crop leaves and water.
stems
Cutworms Cut young plant stems at the Bait made up of 100 kg mealie meal plus
base. 625 g endosulfan, 50% WP is applied to
the ground before planting or near plants in
the late afternoon. Other chemicals that can
be used are Mavrik 2 E, Carbaryl 85 WP
and
Dursban .

Red Spider It causes silvering and mottling Same as for aphids.

Mite of the leaves
Diamondback Mine through the leaf and feed Cover sprays at regular intervals of not
Moth around the growing bud of the longer than ten days using endosulfan at a
young plants. They create rate of 700 ml (35% EC) in 500 litres
irregular holes, sometimes water/ha.
leaving the upper surface of the
leaf in place (windowing).

Webworm The larvae feed on the growing Same as for Diamondback moth.
points of the young plants
causing deformed growth and the
formation of many growing
points
Leaf miner Burrows into leaves causing Same as for aphids
them to fall or become
unmarketable
Diseases
Disease Symptoms Control
Bacterial Kills the seedling leaves completely Use of resistant varieties
Black Rot after they turn dark in colour. When the Use of certified disease free seed
plants are larger, the disease causes
yellow V-shaped areas at the edge of the
leaves, particularly lower leaves near to
the soil.
Bacterial Cabbage turns soft and rotten with a bad Plant on ridges to prevent water
Soft Rot smell logging around the plants
Prevention of other diseases will
reduce the ability of soft rot to
penetrate the crop.
Avoid harvesting under warm moist
conditions
Wash and disinfect hands and
harvesting knives.
Avoid growing cabbages in the
same field for at least three seasons
Yellows Leaves often bend sideways since only Growing resistant varieties and by
one side of the leaves sap tubes is practicing crop rotation
blocked, but they do not survive long
and usually go yellow and drop off.
Downy Fluffy fungal growth on the underside Dithane M45 at 200g/100 litres
mildew of the leaf. water every seven to ten days.
Dip seedlings at transplanting.
Damping Damping off and wire stem of seedlings Sow seed thinly and drench with
off in the seedbed and bottom rot and head Thiram at 10 g/5 litres of water
rot in growing cabbage crops or after each week.
harvest
Harvesting
 Harvesting takes place 60 to 90 days after transplanting depending on variety.
 As soon as the heads are full, firm, well closed and sufficiently developed they
should be harvested.
 Harvesting may be for a period of 15 to 20 days at 4-day intervals.
Yield
 Expected yields vary according to variety.
 Open pollinated varieties yield 30 - 35 tonnes/ha and F1 hybrids yield 50 -
75 tonnes/ha.
Onion Production
Climatic Requirements
Temperature
The optimum temperatures are 18—27° C.
 Bulbing is more rapid at warmer temperatures and low winter temperatures
induce bolting which results in reduced yield, quality and storage potential.
Soil Requirements
 Requires well drained soils with high levels of organic matter.
 The soils should be fertile and should be ploughed to a depth of 600mm.
 The suitable pH is 5.0 to 6.8
Planting
 The planting time is February - March
 For direct sowing use a seed rate of 5-6kg/ha
 Construct nursery be1- 1.5 metres wide, leaving a 50cm path between the beds.
 Apply basal fertiliser of Compound S at a rate of 450 to 550kg/ha and incorporate
into the soil. Manure or compost can also be used.
 Top dress with 350g/m2 of ammonium nitrate 2-3 weeks after emergence avoid
over application as too much Nitrogen may cause excessive foliage and delayed
bulbing.
 Mark out rows 10 - 20 cm apart across each bed. Do not broadcast the seed.
 2.5 -3 kg of seed is sufficient for a hectare and will need a nursery with an area of
300m2 when the seed has been sown into the marked out lines, cover with sand or
if the sand is unavailable cover lightly with soil then mulch and irrigate
 Transplanting is done after 8—10 weeks when seedlings are pencil thick and are
about 15—25cm long.
 Mulch must be removed gradually as seedlings grow.
Approximate irrigation schedule for the nursery
 Apply two light irrigations daily until germination.
 Apply 5mm daily for the first week after germination
 Apply 10mm every two days up to 8 weeks from sowing.

Sets or Bulblets
 This method leads to early maturity has the advantage of harvesting early by 50—
55 days but is not commonly used.
 Sowing is done in August—September.
 Bulbs mature in three months and these are lifted and resown in January—
February.
Transplanting
 Plough, disc and harrow the field to a depth of 30 cm.
 Broadcast and incorporate lime (preferably a month before transplanting). This is
only necessary when pH falls below 5.0 (CaCl2).
  Broadcast compound S at a rate of 800-1000 kg/ha and incorporate. Top dress
with 100-kg/ha ammonium nitrate 4-6 weeks after transplanting.
 Transplant to 5-7.5cm spacing within row and 30 cm between rows.
Irrigation schedule for the field is as follows:
 20 mm weekly from 8 to 10 weeks
 40 mm fortnightly from 10 to 14 weeks from sowing
 40 mm every 7 to 10 days until bulbs mature
 Stop irrigation when 25% of the tops have collapsed

Cultivar selection
Variety Days to maturity Yield
Radium 210 - 220 8 – 10 t/ha
Texas Grano 210 - 220 60 t/ha
White Lisbon 180 - 200 10 – 25 t/ha
Red Pinoy 120 - 150 20 - 25 t/ha

NB. Expected yields vary depending on cultivar, planting date and management.

WEED MANAGEMENT
Weed Chemical LR/SR (Long/short Stage of application
residual effect)
Annual and Fusilade Apply early post emergence of
perennial grasses super grass and crop

Ronstar 3 months Apply immediately after

planting seedlings or sets
Broad leaves and Goal Apply to clean land at 10 to
grasses 18 days after transplanting
NB: For details on chemicals, consult your local AEW or chemical representative. For
rate of application refer to container
Insect Pest Management

PEST SYMPTOMS CONTROL

Thrips Silvery or blanched Thionex 35 EC
appearance on leaves,
tender centre leaves become
curled and deformed, outer
leaves turn brown at tips
Cutworm Cuts plants at the base Karate
NB: For details on chemicals, consult your local AEW or chemical representative. For
rate of application refer to container
Diseases
Disease Symptom Control
Purple Blotch Small irregular white Dithane M45
patches on the leaves Ridomil
Downy Mildew Grey down covering the Dithane M45.
leaves Ridomil Gold
White bulb rot Black sooty—like mould Benlate
between the scales Quintozene
NB: For details on chemicals, consult your local AEW or chemical representative. For
rate of application refer to container
Harvesting
 Done when at least 50% of the tops have wilted/collapsed.
 A light irrigation is applied before harvesting.
 Sort and grade, removing all thick-necked onions, then store in a well ventilated
shed with low temperature and low humidity.
 Inspect weekly and remove all spoiled bulbs.
 Expected yields vary from 20-100 t/ha depending on cultivar, planting date and
management.
Tomato Production
Climatic Requirements
Temperature
 Should be grown in frost-free areas and optimum growth temperatures range from
18 – 25 oC.
Soil Requirements
 Optimum pH is 5.0– 5.5 CaCl2.
 Liming is done when pH is below 5.0.
 Grows best in sandy loam soils
Seed bed
 The seed rate is about 120– 160 g in a nursery seed bed of about 60 m2.
 Emergence takes 7 -10 days depending on prevailing soil temperatures.
Seedling trays
 These are mostly made of silicon boards.
 Trays should always be suspended on tables or benches to allow for free water
movements and root pruning.
 Seedling trays offer a good stand of crops at germination and transplanting if used
correctly.
 At transplanting the seedling is taken with the soil that it germinated from which
reduces root damages which causes transplanting shock.
Boxes or asbestos trays
 Care should be taken to allow for free drainage to prevent damping off of
seedlings.
Transplanting
 Transplanting id done 6 -8 weeks after emergence.
 Harden seedlings when they have 3-5 true leaves and are pencil thick or
approximately 12 cm tall.
Spacing
 Use 300 mm to 500 mm in row and 1.5 – 2 m between rows.
Fertiliser Management
 Apply basal dressing of Compound S 1 000– 1 500 kg/ha (6:17:6), or Tobacco fert
(6:15:12) at 700 kg/ha Broadcast half and disc into the soil then apply the other
half at planting
 Apply top dressing of Ammonium Nitrate and Potassium Sulphate each at 100
kg/ha, split into 2 or 3 applications.
Cultivar Selection

Cultivar Growth Habit Fruit Shape/Quality

Alboran Determinate Round, Smooth and pleasant taste
Rodade Determinate Good quality with high grading
Roma Determinate Long red and almost plum shaped
Floradade Determinate Firm fruit
Money maker Indeterminate Round red firm fruit
Red Khaki Determinate Poor fruit firmness
Rossol Determinate Poor fruit firmness
UC82B Determinate Firm block fruit
Heinz Determinate Medium firmness
Fortune Maker F1 Determinate Square shaped, thick walled
Adelaide F1 Indeterminate Round, firm deep red
Thomas F1 Indeterminate Medium to large size, deep red
Raissa F1 Indeterminate Glossy fruit with constant size
Star 9030 F1 Indeterminate Round smooth fruit
Weed Management
Weed Chemical LR/SR Stage of application
(Long/short
residual effect)
Annual and Fusilade super Apply post emergence to
perennial grasses young and actively growing
weeds

Broad leaves and Sencor 480 SC 8 – 12 weeks and Apply as directed. Spray at
annual grasses longer least 14 days after
transplanting
Trifluralin (Trif) Cross disc into soil before
5 months and transplanting
longer
Pests
PEST SYMPTOMS CONTROL
Cut worm Cut young plant stem at the Carbaryl, Dursban, Pyrinex,
base Karate
Aphids Suck plant sap and reduce Dimethoate, Metasystox 25
plant growth. EC, Malathion 50%
African Bollworm Feed on leaves, flowers and Thionex 35 EC, Dedevap,
fruit Tamaron 600 SL, Carbaryl,
Dipterex 95 SP
Red spider mite Leaves may become Malathion, Dimethoate 40
spotted, yellow, brown or EC, Mitac, Armitraz 20 EC,
silvery Kelthane 18 EC, Dicofol

Leaf miners Causes white spotting or Tamaron, Trigard

stippling in leaves
Whitefly Suck plant sap and reduce Confidor, Naturell, DDVP
plant growth.
Diseases
Disease Symptom Control
Bacterial Wilting of the foliage, stem splitting and It is controlled by using healthy
canker mealy breakdown of internal tissues of the seeds, planting on ridges and the
stem with a separation of wood from pith. use of crop rotation
Bacterial Sudden wilting of the plant, browning of Use crop rotation and avoid use
wilt woody tissues from which bacteria slime of areas prone to water logging.
oozes after cutting across the main root and
lower part of the stem
Bacterial Dark brown raised pustules on the fruit, later Healthy seed , crop rotation and
spot becoming slightly sunken and scabby. Copper oxychloride, Mancozeb,
Captan and Metiram
Bacterial Brown spots 2mm in diameter on leaf edges Use certified disease free seed
Speck On fruit black slightly raised superficial spots Copper oxychloride and
3mm in diameter Mancozeb
Early blight A dark reddish brown leaf spot with Copper oxychloride and
concentric markings appearing first on the Mancozeb, Ridomil, Maneb,
lowermost leaves, causing defoliation. Bravo
Infection of the fruit is usually associated
with cracks and other skin injuries
Late Blight Greyish green water soaked lesions on the Copper oxychloride and
leaves which rapidly turning black Lesions on Mancozeb, Ridomil, Maneb,
the stem are dark brown and large mottled Bravo, Captan
brown areas develop on the fruit.

Tomato Affected plants show light and dark green Use resistant cultivars
mosaic virus mottling. Young leaves may be distorted and Control vectors
will show stunted or elongated growth in Practice good hygiene
condition known as the fern leaf Rogue out and destroy infected
Tomato Tomato spotted wilt symptoms include plants
spotted wilt overall yellowing, spots on leaves or terminal
virus shoots and general stunting.
Tomato
yellow leaf
curl virus
Physiological disorders
Physiological Symptom Control
disorder
Blossom end Appears as small 3 Grow resistant cultivars such as
rot 3 water soaked area at the blossom end the processing cultivars. Foliar
of fruit. This enlarges, becomes sunken applications of calcium chloride at
and turns black and leathery and transplanting time can be useful.
sometimes turning the core of the fruit
brown.

Puffiness Fruits appear and angular. The fruit feels A sound nutrition regime should
lighter than it should be and when cut be followed.
holes in the flesh are seen.
Sunscald White or light tan discoloration of the
fruit that has been over heated due to sun
exposure.
Fruit cracking In concentric cracking, the fruit normally
develops circular, concentric cracks
around the stem end of the fruit. Radial
cracking, the fruit cracks radiate from the
blossom end.
Care should be taken when
pruning fruits and harvesting not
to overexpose fruits to the sun.
Use cultivars that are tolerant to
cracking such as Floradade and
Rodade.

Harvesting
 The stage at which harvesting is done will depend on proximity to the market,
package available and the variety of tomato being harvested.
There are four distinct stages at which tomatoes can be harvested.
 Pale blossom-end stage—Cream coloured streaks at blossom end of the fruit.
 Pink blossom-end stage—Pink dull red colour at blossom end of the fruit.
 Pink stage—Dull red fruit
 Ripe stage—the fruit is virtually ripe but still firm.
Yields
 Yields of over 100t/ha can be obtained depending on cultural practices and
cultivars. However a yield range of 20-60 t/ha is usually achievable.
Storage
 Ripe tomatoes may be stored for 7 to 10 days at 5 to 10 oC and humidity of 80 to
85%. To increase storage life, fruits should be harvested at the mature green stage.
Okra
(Abelmoschus esculentus)
Varieties
There is only one improved variety that is available on the local market and this is the
American variety Clemson Spineless.
Uses
 The cooked pods are used as relish and are consumed with the staple sadza.
 The seeds have a high oil content that can be extracted for household and
industrial uses.
Climate
 It is best grown in hot areas or during summer either as a rain-fed crop or under
irrigation.
Soils
 It can be produced on well drained sandy loam soils with an optimum pH range of
6-6.8 (CaCl2).
Fertilizers
Basal fertiliser:
 Apply 450-750 kg/ha Compound C or Compound D per planting station. Cover
the fertiliser with a bit of soil before placing the seed and covering it..
Top dressing
 Apply 290 kg/ha ammonium nitrate split 2-3 times starting 3 weeks after seed
emergence and at three week intervals thereafter.
Spacing
 Inter row spacing of 60-90 cm and in row spacing of 20-30 cm depending on the
size of the variety being grown.
Time of Planting
 In the highveld plant from August to December under irrigation. December to
April during the rainy season.
 In the lowveld planting all year round is possible where irrigation is available.
Crop Establishment
 8-10 kg of seed will be enough to plant a hectare.
 Direct seeding is the most common method.
 Raising seedlings in the nursery as transplants in seedling trays is another possible
method.
 Pre-soaking seeds in water a day before planting increases the germination
percentage.
Harvesting
 Harvest the young pods 5 to 10 days after flowering while the pods are still tender
and not fibrous.
 Harvesting can continue once per week for more than two months.
 Yields of up to 2-3 t/ha are obtainable.
Diseases
Powdery mildew
  This disease is common in okra especially when the plants are fully mature.
 The symptoms are white powder on the leaves and stems.
 It is controlled by the fungicides Dithane M45 at a rate of 20 g/10 litres of water.
Cercospora leaf spot
 This is observed as brown spots on the leaves with the middle part of the spot
being white.
 It is controlled by spraying with Dithane M45 at a rate of 20g/10 litres of water.
Pests
Aphids
 The symptoms are curled leaves and growing tips resulting in retarded growth.
 They are controlled using Dimethoate 40 EC at a rate of 10 ml/10 litres of water,
or Malathion 25 WP at a rate of 20 g/10 litres of water.
Root-Knot Nematodes
 They infect the roots of the plant affecting movement of water and minerals
within the plant.
 Symptoms are stunted growth and swollen galls on the roots.
 Control is best by observing crop rotations at 4 year intervals excluding other
nematode sensitive crops
Garlic
 Garlic is used as condiment for flavouring and it also has medicinal properties. It
can be dehydrated and crushed to powder, for use in different dishes.
Climate
 Garlic is less able to stand high temperatures.
 The crop is frost hardy.
 Optimum growth is achieved at 12-16 0 C and the best planting time in Zimbabwe
is April to May.
 Bulbing occurs during longer days and higher temperatures and subsequent
exposure to lower temperature.
Soils
 Requires well drained soils with good tilth and which are rich in organic matter..
 Soil pH range is 5.5-6.0 (CaCl2) for best results.
Propagation
 Garlic is propagated by segments of bulb called cloves.
 The seed rate is 900-1100 kg /ha.
 Use biggest cloves to obtain vigorous high yielding plants.
Planting
 Soils should be worked to a fine tilth.
 The cloves should be separated carefully to avoid double cloves which give twin
plants and misshaped bulbs. Plant with the tip of clove just above ground level.
Spacing
 Rows spacing is 20 cm. Place the cloves at 8-10 cm apart in the row.
Fertilisation
 Apply compound C at a rate of 350-500 kg /ha and top dress with 200-300 kg /ha
AN per month after planting.
 Garlic also responds well to Organic Manure.
Irrigation
 Never allow garlic to run short of moisture.
 At each irrigation water to field capacity .Water less frequently but increase the
rate during bulb enlargement and cease watering 1 month before harvest.
Diseases
 Garlic is not very susceptible to diseases but some of the diseases are listed below.
Downy mildew
 Common when weather is wet with high humidity. Symptoms include a violet –
greyish mould on the leaves.
 Can be controlled using Radomil at the rate of 25 g /10 L of water.
Purple blotch
 Causes drying of leaves with sunken spots.
 Leaves become purple with yellow halo.
 Can be controlled using Dithane M45 @ 20g/ 10 litres of water or Bravo 10ml/
10l of water.
Neck rot and Black mould
  These are destructive storage diseases which result in bulbs turning black.
 Can be controlled by storing under low temperatures and well ventilated rooms.
 Eliminate any damaged diseased bulbs before storage.
Pests
Thrips
 These cause silvery blotches on leaves and are usually found inside the leaf sheath
at the apex.
 Scouting is very important because usually when symptoms appear on leaves the
damage would have occurred.
 Control using Malathion 20g/10 litres of water.
Nematodes (Dictylenchus dipsaci)
 May infect the bulb and stem of plant the basal portion of plant becomes swollen,
spongy and splits followed by decay.
 Stunted growth and twisting also occur.
 Always check source of planting material to avoid transferring nematodes and
diseases.
Harvesting
 Crop matures 4-6 months after planting. Harvesting should be done in August to
October when conditions are dry
 The bulbs must be lifted and left to cure on the ground for a week.
 Expected yield is 8-12 tonnes /ha with good management. .
Post Harvest
 At higher temperatures of (26 –32 0C) garlic can be stored for 1 month.
 . Intermediate temperatures (4.4 –18 0C) favours rapid sprouting and high relative
humidity cause moulding.
 At 0 0 C and 65 % relative humidity, garlic stores for 28-36 weeks.
Strawberry Production
Nursery Establishment
Site
 Selected site should be far from other strawberry fields to reduce the chances of
infection with nematodes and viruses
 .It should be free from frost.
Soil
Deep well-drained soil is desirable.
Fertilisation
Fertiliser recommendations for runner and field production
 300 kg/ha Tobaccofert (6:18:15) should be broadcast and disced into the soil
before planting.
 3 - 4 weeks after planting top-dress with 200 kg/ha ZFC Coffeefert (14:5:20) or
150 kg/ha ZFC Coffee Blend (16:5:22).
 Three topdressings of 100 kg/ha Ammonium Nitrate are sufficient.
Spacing
 Plants should be established on raised beds (1m - 1.2m wide) or ridges spaced
0.90 cm apart.
 A spacing of 1m x 1m is best for runner production. Spacing for fruit production
is 30 cm x 45 cm or 30 cm x 30 cm.
Planting
 Trim roots to about 10 cm. remove all leaves except one or two (this minimises
transpiration).
Spread the roots before covering in the soil. The plant is then set with the crown just
above the ground level.It is best to plant in moist soil and irrigate immediately..
Irrigation
 Irrigation should be to field capacity at planting and during the first 4 weeks,
watering 3 times a week.
 Water should be increased during hot days and reduced at cooler times.
Pests
 Aphids and other pests should be controlled by spraying every two weeks with
Dimethoate - Thionex, Thiodan, Carbaryl and Malathion can also be used.
 Bravo or Benomyl alternated with Dithane M45 applied once or twice a week
will control most fungal pathogens.
Harvesting
 Runners should be lifted in February/March.
 When lifting daughter plants, the mother plants (branch crowns) should always
be discarded. An average of 35-40 runner plants per mother plant can be expected.
N.B. Runners should not be allowed to set flowers as this retards the vigour of the
newly-set plants and slows runner productions.

Field Planting
Soil
  Deep well drained, light soils with plenty of compost (20-30 t/ha).
 pH should be in the range of 5.5 - 6.5 (CaCl2 scale).
Field preparation
 Raised beds (1m - 1.2m) 0.90m apart or ridges are recommended.
 The strawberry crop should not follow after a crop susceptible to verticillium wilt
(such as tomato and potato).
Fertilisation
 Pre planting: 500 - 750 SSP/ha and 200 kg K2SO4/ha broadcasted and mixed to a
depth of 30 cm.
 After establishment (at 4 weeks):75 - 100 kg AN/ha as topdressing, then 75 - 100
kg AN/ha and 100 kg K2SO4/ha from commencement of active growth at monthly
intervals.
Planting time
February to April is the best time to plant.
Spacing
 Spacing should be 30 cm x 45 cm on raised beds. Closer spacing may be used if
planting is late to compensate for the small size of the resulting plants.
 Plant population of 45000 plants/ha.
Mulching
 UV stabilised black or clear plastic or rye grass can be used as mulch.
 Strawberries can also be produced in tunnels.
Irrigation
 Frequent light irrigations are recommended as strawberries are shallow rooted. .
Frost
 A frost free site should be selected.
 Straw mulch should be used where/when there is danger of frost e.g. during
winter.
Harvesting
Fruit should be harvested at red-ripe stage (130 - 135 days after planting for the early
planted crop). The harvesting may last for 2 - 3 or more weeks.For shipping, berries
should be harvested slightly earlier. The fruit will colour fully after harvesting..

Post - harvesting handling

 Harvesting should be done with minimal damage as the crop is very perishable.
 The fruit should be picked with the stalk attached, placed in shallow punnets and
cooled to remove field heat.
Cultivars
Rolinda
 High yielding with rather soft, small berries. It has some resistance to mites.
Rovelle:
 Very firm, among the hardest. Has a very good flavour.
Selekta:
 It has firm, large conical berries. Selekta is very popular in taste and appearance.
The flavour is good in winter but rather tart in summer.
Tioga:
  An early cropper, usually earlier than Selekta. Has large berries that are firm
throughout the season. The flavour is superior to Parfaite and can be better then
Selekta. It has uniform ripening and is more resistant to mites. Has been grown
under tunnels.
Tiobelle:
 Has firm, conically shaped and dark coloured fruit very floribundant.
Rolissa:
 Fairly high yielding with small berries. The flavour is good.
Rorine :
 Has medium sized berries with a flavour that can be better than Rolissa.
 A good year yielder.
N.B. Flavour in strawberries depends on the cultivar but might be influenced by other
factors such as locality and cultural practices, in particular fertilisation.
Pests
 Nematodes are the most important.
 Aphids and mites might also cause problems. Morestan or some other acaricide
can be used against mites. Full cover sprays of Dimethoate at a rate of 75
ml/100l water will control mites
 White grubs - larvae of several beetles - feed primarily on grass roots but can
cause severe damage to strawberries.Thiodan (drench) can be used as a control. It
will also control cutworms.
Diseases
 Verticillium wilt, which is soil-borne, can be controlled avoiding planting after a
solanaceous crop..
Pepper Production
Propagation
Sowing
 Seed is sown in spring after the danger of frost has passed.
 Seed should be dressed with some fungicidal dressing such as thirum and soil
should be treated by solarisation.
 Spacing of 75 X 45 cm or 90 X 45 cm with a seed rate of about 150-200 grams
per hectare is used.
 Seedlings are transplanted after four to six weeks when approximated to be about
15 cm tall.
 Any fruit that may have developed at transplanting should be removed because it
causes dwarfing of the plant and hence reduces yield.
Soil Requirements
 Sands and sandy loams are preferred.
 Heavy soils should always be avoided because of their poor drainage
. Ideal pH lies between 5.5 and 7.0 CaCl 2 scale.
Fertiliser Applications
 Adequate organic manure is necessary and recommended at the rate of 25– 35
mm tonnes of compost or manure per hectare.
Harvesting And Storage
 Harvesting commences two or three months after planting and continues with
regular pickings at intervals of one to weeks for a period of three months.
 Ripe chillies can be stored at 4.5 –7 °C and will keep for three or four weeks at
these temperatures.
Tsunga Production
Introduction
Tsunga Brassica junceat belongs to the Brassicae family, so it shares the same diseases
and pests with cabbage, Rape, Covo and Rugare.
Uses
 The leaves are cooked as a vegetable. The vegetable is commonly mixed with
onion, tomato and cooking oil.
 The most popular is when it is prepared in peanut butter. Tsunga can also be dried
green or after a few minutes of par-boiling
Production Requirements
Soil
 Does better where soils are rich in organic matter, leaf size and quality improves
where organic manure is added.
 Soil pH should range between 5- 6 (CaCl2). Avoid waterlogged soils.
Time of Production
 It is common or was common for rural women farmers to grow Tsunga during the
rains December-April and on anthills.
 The highest yield are obtained when planting is done in April to August, as the
cold winter temperatures delay flowering and induce the production of bigger
leaves.
Fertilizers and Manure
The following fertiliser rates are recommended.
Basal fertiliser
1. 50 t/ha manure no basal fertiliser except top dressing
2. 30 t/ha manure and 150 kg/ha Compound D
3. 450 kg/ha Compound D
Top dressing
 Apply 290 kg/ha ammonium nitrate split three times.
 First application 3 weeks after emergence and the rest is applied in three splits at
three week intervals.
Spacing
 Rows can be spaced at 30-50 cm. inside the row plants should be spaced at 30 cm.
Crop establishment
 Apply the manure and basal fertiliser and mix it in the soil.
 Mark the rows and planting stations and plant 3 to 4 seeds per station. Thinning to
one plant per station is done when the seedlings are 2-3 weeks old.
 Thin to one plant per station and apply the first top dressing after.
Irrigate before and after thinning to allow soil around the seedlings to settle. .
Harvesting
 Harvest leaves after about 6 weeks of growth. Do not remove all the big leaves,
leave one for subsequent growth.
 Harvest once per week and the number of leaves per harvest per plant will depend
on the plant growth conditions..
Diseases
  Fungal diseases may appear if the crop is produced during the rainy season. Spray
with a fungicide at least once a week if conditions remain humid.
Pests
 Aphids have been observed on Tsunga and are controlled using Malathion or
Dimethoate.
 Bagrada bugs (vanaRudo) suck the sap from the leaves and leave dry spots on the leaf
making them unsightly and unmarketable. Bagrada bugs are controlled using
Carbaryl, Dichlorovos (Dedevap) and Parathion. Other organic methods of control are
available.
Potato Production
(Solanum Tuberosum)
Soils
 Best soils are medium textured loamy soils with good organic matter content and
a pH of between 5.0 and 5.5 (CaCl2).
Land Preparation
 The land should be ploughed to a fine tilth which is necessary for good tuber
development and a soil depth of at least 600 mm is preferable.
Seed
Certified seed should always be used in the production of potatoes..
 Grade ‘AA’
Varietal purity: 99. 5%
Health: Not more than 0.25% leaf roll or severe mosaic viruses.
Not more than 2% visible mild mosaic
No bacterial wilt at any growth stage
 Grade ‘A’
Varietal purity: 99.5%
Health: Not more than 1% leaf roll or severe mosaic viruses
Not more than 2% visible mild mosaic
 Grade ‘XX’
As for Grade A, but tubers have been subjected to a limited amount of mechanical
damage.
 Grade AA is available for a limited period (June-July) in any one year, while
Grade A is available throughout the year.
 Newly sprouted seed produce the most vigorous plants and highest yield. Newly
sprouted seed is used when the sprouts are between 5 and 15 mm long.
 Tubers which are firm, disease free, reasonably free of damage and which have
strong sprouts should be selected. Seed is sorted according to size and tubers
smaller than 25 mm are discarded.
Sprouting
 On a commercial scale, seed potatoes are usually unsprouted when obtained.
These should preferably be sprouted under daylight conditions with protection
only from the strongest sun.
Force sprouting

 Heat: A constant temperature of 30-35 o C will initiate sprouting. Merely covering

with a tarpaulin in moderate sunshine will help.
 Acetylene:
a) The tubers may be stacked in an air-tight room at 21-27 o C containing 0.1 per cent
acetylene gas. 30 g calcium carbide will generate sufficient gas for 2 m3.
(b) Immersion in acetylene solution for 4-6 hours. For 45 litres of solution 230g calcium
carbide is added slowly.
 Sprouting can be retarded by storing the seed at low temperatures, for one year at
3 o C, or by the application of a sprout inhibitor..
Varieties
Montclare
 A very high yielding variety, producing medium quality tubers, which tend to be large
and of poor shape with deep eyes.
 It is late maturing variety and is an uneven sprouted.
 It’s resistant to Late Blight but is susceptible to virus diseases.
BPI
 A medium-early variety, taking 3-4 months in the ground.
 White flesh, hard skin, good oval shape and very high yielding.
 It is fairly resistant to Late blight.
 An even sprouter.
Pimpernel
 Late maturing variety, medium yield, and red skinned, yellow fleshed tubers for ‘chip’
trade.
 Keeps well, has good field resistance to Late blight and is fairly tolerant of virus
diseases.
Inyanga Amethyst
 Late maturing, white purple flowers.
 White fleshed flat oval, shallow eyed, white skin with slight russet and quick
sprouting.
 Consistently high yielder, both in summer and winter. Good resistance to Late blight.
 New varieties that are available on the market are Jasper and Garnet.
Fertilisation

Fertiliser Nutrient Status Of The Soil

Nutrient
Good Medium Poor
Kg per Hectare Of Fertiliser
Nutrient Required
Nitrogen Up to 70 70—110 110—160
Phosphate Up to 325 350—400 400—450
Potash Up to 70 70—110 100—135
 All phosphate and potash requirements should be applied at/before planting, by
banding to the side of the seed.
 To reduce fertiliser burn a single line may be drawn along the bottom of the furrow to
mix it with the soil, or the fertiliser covered with a thin layer of soil before planting the
seed.
 Another method of application is to broadcast the fertiliser after ridging, set the seed
in the furrow, then split the ridge back over the seed
 . When the tubers are in direct contact with the fertiliser, a good initial irrigation will
reduce the chances of burn occurring.
 Compound ‘S’ (7:21:7) is recommended in cases where it can be obtained.. The rate
of application of Compound S ranges from 1300-2100 kg/ha. Part of the nitrogen
requirement is supplied at planting in the Compound S and the balance, 100-150 kg/ha
ammonium nitrate, is supplied as a top dressing 1-3 weeks after the crop has emerged.
The top dressing should be applied between rows or per plant before the final earthing up.
Planting
 Tubers are planted 70-100 mm deep under irrigation.
 Dryland planting may be up to 150 mm deep.
 Interrow spacing is 900 mm and the inrow spacing is 300 mm. .
 Large seed tends to produce more stems and a higher proportion of smaller tubers,
small seed.
 Seed producers will use a spacing of 600-1200 mm between rows and from 150-160
mm in the row.
 Seed is supplied in 30 kg pockets containing sizes from 25 to 56 mm and an average
of 400 tubers per pocket
Time of Planting
 Potatoes can be grown all year round in the middleveld and highveld. However
because of considerations of frost, wet months and utilisation of irrigation equipment,
three main planting times are recognised.
Summer crop
 Normally planted in November to mature towards the end of the rainy season.
 Earlier planting is possible and can lead to very high yields but lifting can be difficult.
 Use late blight resistant varieties since complete chemical control during rains is
extremely difficult.
First Winter Crop
 Planted from February to April to mature before frost according to area, but later in
the lowveld to take advantage of cooler weather.
 Varieties resistant to Late blight should be grown.
 Supplementary irrigation is essential.
Second Winter Crop
 Planted in late July to early August after the risk of frost has passed.
 Irrigation is required and when flood irrigation is used Late blight is not a problem.
 With the use of overhead irrigation the risk of late blight..
Method of Planting
 A uniform tilth is required and where flood irrigation is used ridging is essential.
 Where overhead irrigation is used planting is done on flat land and ridging is done
later.
 Hand planting is done behind a tractor-drawn ridger, which opens the furrows.
 The tubers are placed in the open furrow and are closed by the soil thrown during the
following pass.
 Furrows are spaced 90-120 cm and tubers are placed 30-60 cm.
Irrigation
 Potatoes are shallow rooted with a maximum root depth of 600 mm.
 Irrigation to field capacity is done at planting and no further irrigation is done during
emergence.
 When the first flower buds appear the crop should be watered regularly until maturity.
 Excessive watering should be avoided since this leads to undue leaching of nutrients
and reduces the keeping quality of potatoes.
An irrigation guide is given in the table below:
.
Soil Type Hot Months Cold Months Irrigation required
Light soils 3-4 days 5-7 days 25-30 mm

Heavy soils 4-5 days 8-9 days 30-35 mm

Weed Control
 Excessive cultivation should be avoided because potatoes are shallow rooted.
 Earthing up by ridging is necessary to protect the tubers from greening, tuber-moth
and Late blight and should planned so as to be an integral part of weed control
 Re-ridging should be completed by the time the plant is 25 cm high.
 The ridges should be made as low as is consistent with good coverage for the tubers
and for efficient flood irrigation.
 High steep ridges are subject to greater erosion and more rapid drying due to the
greater surface area exposed to the sun.
 Wide flat-topped ridges are satisfactory for making adequate soil available for tuber
development and tuber protection.
 Herbicides that can be used are Topogard, Dual, Sencor, MCPA and 2-4D.
Harvesting
 If done early or in the production of seed potato the haulms are destroyed prematurely
by hand chopping, use of mechanical haulm pulverisers or rotor beaters or by the use of
chemicals.
 Normally harvesting is done when 95% of the leaves have died off.
 When chemical haulm destruction has occurred lifting should be completed inside 10
days to avoid attack by Black scurf (Rhizoctonia)
 Harvesting begins when the potato skin has hardened sufficiently to reduce physical
damage during lifting.
 The highest yields are obtained when the tubers are harvested 12-15 days after 95%
of the leaves have died off under conditions of overcast cool weather.
 In hot dry conditions the tubers should be moved to a sheltered place immediately
after harvesting to avoid a reduction in the keeping quality. Only very muddy potatoes
should be washed.
Yields
Yield of up to 40t/ha can be obtained but on average the summer crop produces a yield of
17-20 t/ha and the winter crop 24-27 t/ha.
Storage
 At temperatures between 3 oC and 5 oC, potatoes will only start sprouting after 8-12
months.
 Clean pest free tubers should be dressed with 1% malathion and stored in a clean
room that has been treated with a suitable insecticide.
 Ware potatoes must be stored in a cold dark place to prevent greening and reduce
sprouting.
 Seed tubers are best stored in wooden trays called chitin trays, which have protruding
planks on all four corners to facilitate ventilation when the trays are staked on top of each
other.

Pests of Potatoes
Nematodes
Three main types of nematodes occur in Zimbabwe.
 Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp) give rise to characteristic watery blisters
on the tubers at lifting time. These subsequently collapse and present a rough surface
of crinkly scar tissue. This type is most common and economically dangerous.
 Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp) are characterised by lesions on tubers
which are visible as slightly raised, light to dark brown-purple areas with a groove-
like depressed border. Symptoms may develop during storage.
 Burrowing nematodes (Radopholus) cause minute intensely black sunken spots
easily visible on freshly lifted tubers. This nematode is as yet of little economic
significance.

 Control of nematodes is by rotation with nematode resistant grass leys of Ermelo

Love, Katambora Rhodes and Sabi Panicum grasses.

 Soil fumigation with EDB can also be done three or four weeks before planting. Due
to the ban on EDB alternatives can be used e.g. Nemacur
Insect Pests
1. Potato tuber moth (Phthorimea operculella)
The larvae of this pest cause leaf damage by tunnelling between the upper and lower leaf
surface thus hindering photosynthesis, they also tunnel the stems and the tubers.
Control
 Can be controlled using the parasitic wasp Copidosoma as biological control.
 Clean fields by removing all tubers after harvesting and by weeding out alternative
hosts e.g Nicandra (Apple of Peru)
 Ridge up tubers to bury them with about 250 mm soil. Do not ridge just before
spraying since covered leaves will receive no insecticide.
 Chemical control using chemicals such as Monocrotophos or Carbofuran.
2. Aphids
 Aphids transmit several virus diseases such as Leaf roll, Necrotic Virus Y and Virus
Y.
 They cause wilting, premature senescence and a consequent decline in yield.
 Chemical control can be done using Dimethoate.
3. Cutworms
 Cutworms are the larvae of certain moths that chew through the stems at surface
level.
 They are plump, dark, greasy grey caterpillars 25-38 mm long that feed at night
Control:
 Apply a band of insecticide along the rows as a spray or bait.
 Chemicals registered for use in potatoes are Monocrotophos, Deltamethrin,
Chlopyrifos and Endosulfan.
4. Potato leaf hopper (Empoasca fascialis)
 These are small wedge-shaped insects that feed on the underside of the leaves.
 They rarely cause economic damage and are controlled by Malathion.
5. White grub
 These are soft bodied, white larva with a brown head that feed on the tubers making
shallow holes.
 They are controlled by chlorpyrifos at planting.
6. False wireworms (Trachynotus and Psammodes spp)
 Tough skinned cylindrical, yellow-brown larvae which eat into the plant stem just
below soil level. Control is by Chlorpyrifos.
Physiological disorders
 Black heart Black centre of tuber caused by storage at high temperatures
 Hollow heart Irregular cavities caused by rapid or irregular growth due to irregular
irrigation
 Internal browning Occurs on infertile soils which are acid and phosphate deficient
Diseases
1. Late blight (Phytophthora infestans)
 It appears as small brown lesions with a pale green border which rapidly coalesce to
form black water-soaked areas.
 Under severe conditions all the foliage is destroyed within 5 days of the onset. On the
tubers it is seen as a rosy red necrosis of marginal tissue.
 Fungicidal sprays are important on susceptible varieties and may be necessary on
tolerant/resistant varieties at peak period, particularly the months of February or March.
2. Early blight (Alternaria solani)
 It is seen as target spots, roughly circular, dark brown with concentric markings.
 Most fungicides that control Late blight also control Early blight.
3. Bacterial wilt (Pseudomonas solanacearum)
 Symptoms are wilting of foliage, brown discoloration of vascular tissue, and dirty
white bacterial ooze which exudes from cuts made across a stem or tuber.
 Control is by using certified seed and cultivation of the crop on disease free land.
Virus diseases
 Leaf roll (Solanum virus 14)
 Leaf drop streak (Potato Virus Y)
 Mosaic (Potato Virus X)
Control is by the production of healthy seed in aphid free areas and by limiting spread by
aphid control in commercial ware crops.
E
Green Beans
(Phaseolus Vulgaris)
Beans are classified into two distinct groups:
 Bush or dwarf beans
 Runner or pole beans
Climate and Soils
A relative humidity of not less than 50 percent is required for good setting, although dry,
cool conditions are required for harvesting.
 Best yields are obtained on sandy clay loams. The optimum soil temperature range is
between 25 and 30oC as this promotes good seed germination.
 Soils which tend to become waterlogged should be avoided as water logging causes
flower and pod drop.
 Optimum soil pH is 5.0-5.5 (CaCl2). Liming where soil pH is below 5.0 is advisable.
 The recommended planting times are as shown below.
Below 750m altitude-sow March, April and May
750m-1200m altitude-sow early September to March
Above 1200m altitude-sow mid/end September to early November and end of February.
Fertiliser Requirements
 The general recommendations for fertiliser application are a basal dressing of 600
kg/ha Compound D and a light top dressing if required of ammonium nitrate at 100
kg/ha.
 The fertiliser must be banded at least 75 mm to the side and 75 mm below the seed
rather than broadcasting the fertiliser.
 Boronated fertilisers should be avoided as beans are susceptible to high levels of
boron.
Planting
 Seed should be sown at a rate of 80—100 kg/ha, and the seed should be treated with
thiram and dieldrin to protect against attack by soil-borne fungi and the stem maggot.
Bush beans are planted in situ at a spacing of 50 mm x 450 mm. Double rows 200 mm
apart and 700-750 mm apart in the row is more convenient for mechanisation.
 Runner beans are planted 100-150 mm apart, in rows 900mm apart. Planting depth
should not exceed 25 mm.
 Beans should be planted in a soil that has been ploughed to a depth of 200-300 mm,
and before seeding; the soil should be brought to a reasonable tilth and irrigated.
Weed Management
 Weed control should begin shortly after germination of the seeds.
 Cultivation must be shallow since most of the roots are in the top 200 mm of the soil.
 A number of herbicides are available for chemical weed control., examples of some
are listed below.
1. Linuron (Afalon), a pre-emergence herbicide applied at a rate of 1.5-2.5kg/ha.
2. Metalochlor (Dual) is another pre-emergence herbicide that is applied at a rate of
1.75– 2.0 litres for grass control. In areas where nutgrass is a problem, the rate is
adjusted to 2.0-2.5 litres/ha
Irrigation
 Most of the roots of a bean plant are concentrated in the top 200 mm of the soil,
therefore light irrigations are recommended, 35-40 mm (net) on fine textured or
clay soils and 25-30 mm on light sands or coarse textured soils.
A guide to irrigation requirements for different altitudes is given below.
1. Above 1000m planted in early to mid September
Emergence to flowering Flowering to final harvest

Fine textured Soils 40 mm every 9 days 40 mm every 5 days

Light sands 30 mm every 7 days 30 mm every 4 days
2. Above 1000m planted in late February or early March or below 750 m planted in
April
Fine textured Soils 40 mm every 10 days 40 mm every 8 days
Light sands 30 mm every 8 days 30 m every 6 days
Harvesting
 The first harvest occurs about 14 days after flowering and lasts from three to four
weeks
 The crop is harvested by hand when the pods are nearly full size, straight and
easily snapped, and the seeds small with a jelly substance surrounding them.
 Beans are ready for the first harvest about 50 days after planting and this
continues for 21 to 30 days. Beans must not be harvested during the hottest time
of the day, and after rain or irrigation, should be allowed to dry before picking.
 Green Beans usually give yields of 8-10 tonnes/ha
Diseases
1. Rust (Unronyces appendiculus)
 Characterised by brown pustules on lower leaves with yellow halo of variable
size.
 It is controlled by Mancozeb 80% at a rate of 300g/100 litres of water or Maneb
80% at a rate of 200g/100 litres of water.
2. Anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemuthianum)
 It is characterised by circular sunken brown pits on the pods containing pink
spores.
 It is controlled by Mancozeb 80% at a rate of 300g/100 litres of water, Maneb
80% at a rate of 200g/100 litres of water, Thiram 80% at a rate of 200g/100 litres
of water Zineb 80% at a rate of 200g/100 litres of water.
3. Bacterial blight (Pseudomonas midicagiu)
 It is characterised by small spots with yellow green halos on the foliage, pods and
seeds.
 It is controlled using Copper oxychloride at a rate of 400g/100 litres of water.
 Other diseases that can attack beans are scab, pre-emergent damping off and bacterial
pustules.
Pests
1. Aphids (Aphis fabae)
 Aphids are sap sucking insects that transmit viruses.
 They are controlled using Dimethoate or Malathion 50% or Endosulfan 35%.
2. Bean stem maggot
 This is a small cream maggot that burrows through the stem forming swellings.
 It causes yellowing of the foliage and plant wilt.
 It is controlled using Dieldrin.
3. Heliothus bollworm (Heliothus armigera)
 The heliothus bollworm hollows out the plant buds. It is controlled using
Endosulfan.
4. Loopers
 Theses are green caterpillars that eat the leaves and the pods.
 They are controlled using Carbaryl 85%.
5. Red spider mite
 The Red spider mite makes fine webbing on the under surface of the leaf leading
to the leaves turning to a silvery colour and mottling of the leaves.
 It is controlled using Malathion 25%.
6. CMR Beetles
 These are large clumsy black beetles with yellow and red markings.
 They are controlled using Malathion 50%.
Granadilla Production
(Passiflora Edulis),
Uses
 It is a popular constituent of cool drinks, cakes, icing and ice creams..
The plant
 Most of the cultivated Passion fruit are woody, perennial climbers.
 The main stem is green in colour while the leader of the yellow granadilla, P.
edulis forma flavicarpa, is maroon to purple in colour.
 The lobed leaves are borne alternatively on the main stem and laterals. In the axil
of each leaf, tendrils, which assist the climbing plant and flowers, are borne. . are
The Flowers.
 The flowers are 50 mm in diameter and striking in form and are borne singly in
the axils of the leaves along the new shoots.
 Flowers on the younger part of the shoots open later, so that a crop from one
flush of shoot growth and fruit setting is harvested during a period of two to three
months.
The Fruit.
 The fruit is oval in shape, 50 to 65 mm in diameter and dark purple colour
(externally) when ripe.
 It has a hard shell of about 3 mm thick and the internal lemon coloured flesh
contains some 150 blackish seeds, each seed being embedded in an individual
juice sac
 A selection of this granadilla with a slightly larger fruit is often found in local
plantings but this fruit is usually poorly filled and hence of poor quality.
 The yellow granadilla fruit differs from the purple type in that it has a yellow rind
when ripe, more aromatic and more acid pulp, brown seeds (larger than P edulis)
and the fruit is generally larger.
 Pollination can be accomplished by installing a number of beehives in the
plantation.
Climatic Requirements
 It is a tropical plant which prefers a moderate temperature throughout the year but
is susceptible to frost.
 Mature vines are resistant to a few degrees of ground frost, but the young
seedlings are rather tender.
 The yellow granadilla, however, is not frost tolerant.
 In low lying areas like Chiredzi, Middle Sabi, the economic life span of the
granadilla is about 3 – 4 years.
 In the higher lying escarpment areas like the Eastern highlands, the plants may
produce a reasonable crop for about eight years, depending on management.
The soil
 Prefers well drained medium textured soils.
Planting
 Planting is done as from September to December in cooler areas.
 Obtain seedlings from a reputable nursery.
  Transplant the seedlings when they have attained a height of 60 cm.

Systems in Production
 There are two systems in the production of Passion fruit:.

High density/ intensive system

 Rows are spaced at 4m apart and in row spacing of 10 cm to give a plant
population of 25 000 plants per hectare.
 Each vine is trained to the top wire and horizontally, on the direction of the
prevailing wind until it reaches the opposite row.
 Vines must be wound loosely around wires to prevent damaging the plants. All
suckers should be removed

Low density /Extensive system

 Rows are planted at 1m and 2.5m apart alternately to facilitate tractor movement.
Plants are planted in pairs, 20 cm apart with 2m separating each pair. A plant
population of 5 714 plants per hectare is achieved.
 Correct trellising is essential to allow light to enter so as to improve fruit colour,
reduce insect pests and disease incidence.
 One plant is trained to the low horizontal wire and along it. Laterals are allowed
to grow and hang down. Remove all suckers from these laterals on a regular basis.

Fertilization
High density/ intensive system
 Before flowering, apply 150 Kg/ha/ month of compound J and ammonium nitrate
50 Kg/ha/month.
After flowering, apply:
 100- 150 Kg/ha/month Ammonium Nitrate (AN)
 100 Kg/ha/month Muriate Of Potash (MOP)
 After cutting back apply 200 kg/ha compound J.
Low density /Extensive system
 Before flowering, apply 75 Kg/ha/ month compound J and ammonium nitrate 30
Kg/ha/month.
After flowering, apply:
 75-100 Kg/ha/month AN
 75 Kg/ha/month Muriate Of Potash
 After cutting back apply 150 kg/ha compound J.
Pruning
High density/ intensive system
 Flowers and fruits develop on current season growth; hence pruning is advised to
rejuvenate growth, increase air circulation and light penetration.
 Pruning should be carried out in dry weather to reduce diseases.
 Severe pruning from year one is advised.
 Remove all suckers as they come out. After harvest cut back to 30 cm above the
ground 12 – 16 months after transplanting.
Low density /Extensive system
 Vines are cut back after harvesting all the fruits.
 Spray to prevent possible phytophthora infection.
 Cut back main leaders to about 30 cm below their respective wires.
 Protect against Anthracnose die back by painting with a strong fungicide on the
cut wounds.
Irrigation.
 As from August to the end of February, apply light but frequent irrigation of 25-
35 mm after every ten days.
 No water should be applied during the rains or when the soil has enough moisture.
Overhead irrigation should be avoided since it may promote the development of
foliage diseases.

Weeds
 Hand weeding is the most appropriate.
 Appropriate herbicides may also be used depending on the type of weeds in the
orchard.
Harvesting
 Fruits are harvested when they are 90-95% coloured depending on the distance
from the market.
 Fruits should be kept in a shade after picking.
 In the extensive system, yields of 8-15 tons /ha are expected while 15 –30 tons/ha
may be obtained from the intensive system.
Diseases and their control
Damping off
 It is caused by pathogens like Pythium and Rhizoctonia.
 Symptoms include wilting of seedlings with water soaked girdling of the stem at
just or just below the soil surface.
 Control is done by good nursery practices and seed dressing with fungicides.
Leaf and fruit spot.
 Caused by fungal pathogens such as Septoria, Alternaria and Cladosporium.
 They cause necrotic lesions round to angular on both the fruit and the leaves and
at times the shoots.
 The disease spreads when conditions are wet, humid.
 Affected leaves later die and drop off while the fruits are down graded.
 Good pruning and orchard management is essential to minimise diseases.
. Powdery mildew.
 Causes leaves to turn yellow and drop off.
 The disease is seen as white powdery patches on the underside of the affected
leaves.
 Control is by spraying with wettable sulphur.
Phytophthora.
 Causes yellowing of the vines starting at the tips.
  Dark water soaked areas on the stem which develop to swollen areas are the
symptoms.
 The swelling becomes corky, dry and the bark gets rough and cracks resulting in
wilting and death of the plant. It is a common disease in older plantations.
 Control is done by good drainage and use of chemicals like Bravo, Dithane M45.
Bullets Disease or Mosaic Woodiness
 Is caused by a virus that cause fruits to become lumpy with a thick skin and little
pulp.
 Control can be effected by planting virus free seedlings and remove and destroy
infected vines.
Anthracnose.
 Occurs where vines have been damaged or cut.
 The tissue near the wound dies, spreading down the plant causing its death.
 Paint cuts and damaged areas with a strong fungicidal solution.
Pests
Fruit fly and Pumpkin fly
 These insects lay eggs in the fruit while the fruit is young and still developing.
 A round depression is formed, with a small hole in the middle.
 A soft brown area develops around the spot.
 Control may be effected by the use of Lebaycid and any other bait spray such as
Malathion added with sugar sprayed at four day intervals can also be effective.
Nematodes.
 These are common in sandy soils and affects root growth and development.
 Prevention may be effected by the use of nematicides applied before planting such
as 30 ml of nemacur per station
Thrips
 Tiny cigar, shaped insects that can at times be found in large numbers on the
flowers of passion fruit.
 Their feeding and egg laying may cause small white blemishes on the fruit.
 They are common in warm dry weather especially in September.
 They cause distorted leaf growth and also flower drop.
Tip wilters
 These are large black stinkbugs with spiny projections on thorax and legs.
 This sap sucking activity causes the wilting and dying of shoot tips.
 Hand collection is the most effective control.
Green stink bugs
 Causes damage by piercing young fruit, that later become discoloured and not of
good quality.
 Hand picking is the best method.
Eggplant Production
Background
 The immature fruit is eaten when it is attractively coloured and glossy and the
seeds are still immature.
 Fruits are eaten grilled, fried or steamed or stewed with other vegetables, meat or
fish or roasted.
 Some cultivars can be eaten raw, made into pickles or sweet jam and can be
preserved by freeze drying, canning or deep-freezing.
 It is a good source of vitamin B and C, calcium and iron.
Climatic Requirements
Temperature
 Eggplant is frost sensitive.
 Seed germinates in 7 – 14 days at temperatures of 21 – 24oC.
 Plants should be transplanted when mean daily temperatures have reached 18 –
21oC.
 Maximum growth temperature is 26 – 32oC with night temperatures of not less
than 20oC.
 It requires a long growing season of 150 – 160 days and it needs 85 – 90 days to
the first harvest.
Soil
 Eggplant requires well-drained fertile sandy loams.
 In sandy soils add manure or compost to improve the organic matter content.
 It requires a pH of 5.5 – 6.5 (CaCl2).
 Liming is recommended if pH falls below 5.5
 Its susceptible to root knot nematodes therefore avoid old tobacco lands or lands
with previous history of nematode infestations.
 Soil fumigation is recommended before planting.
Water requirements
 It has high water requirements and as a rank growing crop should not suffer from
water stress at any stage.
 It has a shallow root system with most of the roots occurring in the top 300 mm of
soil.
 Light frequent irrigations are recommended.
Table 1:Irrigation schedule for eggplant

Medium textured Sandy soils Comments

soils
First month Apply 30mm net per Apply 20 mm net In cloudy or cooler
week every 5 days weather increase cycle by
Second month to Apply 40 mm every 6 Apply 25 mm net 2 days for every 10 mm of
maturity days every 3 – 4 days rain experienced

 Irregular water supply during fruiting disturbs the calcium supply to the fruit and
results in blossom end rot or related symptoms
Land Preparation
Seedbeds
 Grown from seedlings and is not sown directly into the field.
 Prepare raised beds 40 – 50 mm above ground level.
 Apply 4 – 6 kg manure or compost per square meter, 60g single super phosphate,
30 g sulphate of potash and lime if required.
 If manure is unavailable apply 100 – 200 g/m2 compound D.
 Seedlings are sown all year round in frost-free areas but in frost areas sow in
August to October.
 Seed is sown by drilling 130 – 300 mm apart at a depth of 10 mm.
 A thin layer of grass mulch is beneficial.
 350 – 500 g of seed is needed to plant 1 hectare
 Transplanting is done 6 – 8 weeks after sowing.
Production of Oyster Mushrooms
The mushroom house
It is also called the Fruiting or Growing house.
Construction of the mushroom house is based on a simple basic design.
1. The dimensions depend on the number of substrate bags the grower can handle at
any one time.
2. The walls are constructed out of farm bricks or poles and dagga or a wooden
frame and thatch. Plastic or foam sheets may be used to line the walls in order to
increase the relative humidity in the production house.
3. A roof thatched with grass or banana leaves.
4. Air vents and windows on the upper side of walls are required for ventilation and
lighting to initiate fruiting. Light sufficient to read a newspaper when in the house
is adequate.
5. Wooden shelves for holding the bags or wooden racks for hanging spawned
substrate bags
The mushroom house should provide optimum conditions for fruiting. Temperatures
should be maintained at 18 – 25oC and relative humidity should be 80 – 90%.
Incubation/Spawning Room
 Spawned substrate bags are kept in this room for the mushroom mycelium to
grow. Growers may construct a separate incubation room with shelves to hold the
bags.
 Alternatively the spawned bags can be covered with a black plastic in the
mushroom house.
 If using the mushroom house for incubation the air vents and the windows should
be closed to provide dark conditions required for spawning.
 Light is not required in the incubation room. Temperatures should be about 24oC.
Mushroom Spawn
 Spawn refereed to, as the mushroom seed is mushroom mycelium growing on
sorghum, wheat or barley. It is used to seed substrate.
 High quality spawn should be obtained from reputable Spawn Laboratories
 Good spawn is the key to successful mushroom production. Pleurotus ostreatus
and Pleurotus sajor caju are the strains available locally for Oyster Mushroom
production.
Substrates
o Substrate is the agricultural waste on which the mushroom grows. Oyster
mushroom can be grown on several agricultural wastes;
o Finely chopped rice or wheat straw
o Shredded maize cobs
o Cotton waste
o Finely chopped maize stalks
o Sawdust from broad leaved trees
o Banana leaves
o The type to use depends on availability and accessibility.
 o Any of these substrates may be supplemented with rice or wheat bran at
15 – 20% and lime at 1 – 2%. Any substrate used must be pasteurised to
eliminate contaminants or undesirable organisms.
 A good substrate has the following properties;
 Easy availability
 High nutrient content for the mushrooms to grow
 Good aeration – not too compact and not too loose
 Good water holding capacity – not too dry and not too wet
 Wheat and rice straw are the most commonly used substrates in Oyster mushroom
production.
Steriliser
o The steriliser is required for pasteurising the substrate to eliminate pests and
diseases.
o The steriliser can be a huge pot, container or metal drum to hold large quantities
of substrate for boiling in water at 100oC.
o Firewood or other local materials are used to provide fire for heating the
steriliser.

Other requirements
Thermometer – used to check temperaturesHygrometer – used for monitoring relative
humidity
Sprayer – for watering the substrate during fruiting
 Watering can or bucket – for watering the floor in cooling the temperature and
increasing the humidity
 Plastic bags – these are required for containing the substrate during the cultivation
process.
 Bags should be 10 – 20 kg capacity and preferably transparent. This makes it
easy to check substrate colonisation and to detect contaminants.
 String – required for tying the mouths of bags and for hanging onto racks.
Production
Oyster mushroom production has four major steps.
1. Substrate preparation and pasteurisation
2. Spawning
3. Incubation
4. Fruiting and Harvesting
Substrate Preparation and Pasteurisation
Pasteurisation aims at killing pests and diseases that can spoil development of the
mushroom. Immersion in boiling water is a cheap but efficient way of pasteurising the
substrate.
1. Prepare the substrate by chopping and shredding into small pieces.
2. Soak the substrate in water overnight.
3. Drain off the water and add the supplements
4. Pack the substrate into a steriliser and fill with water – hot water is the best
5. Heat and pasteurise by boiling for 1 hour.
 6. Transfer the substrate onto a clean plastic sheet and cool to about 40oC just at the
stage when you can hold it but not get burnt.
7. Pack the substrate into plastic bags taking care not to pack too tightly or too
loosely.
8. Add the spawn whilst packing the substrate.

Spawning
This is the process of planting the mushroom.
1. Use about 0.5 kg or 300 ml of spawn to plant 10 kg of substrate.
2. Distribute the spawn evenly in alternating layers with the pasteurised substrate.
3. Tie the mouth of the bag soon after spawning
 Substrate spawning is the most delicate operation in mushroom production.
 It must be done in a clean environment free of air movements
 Care should be taken not to contaminate the spawn itself and the substrate too.
 Workers must operate under strict hygienic conditions.

Incubation
 During incubation the mushroom mycelium grows to cover the whole substrate.
 Place spawned bags at 24oC in the dark incubation room or cover the bags with
black plastic in the mushroom house.
 Bags are ready for mushroom formation when the substrate appears white.
 Full colonisation occurs in about 14 – 40 days.
 Transfer bags to the mushroom house or expose the bags by removing the black
plastic.

Fruiting
Fruiting is the formation of the mushrooms in the mushroom house.
 Open the air vents or windows in the mushroom house to provide light and to
initiate fruiting
 After one day open the bags by making long cuts or holes at the top and at the
bottom of the bags using clean sharp instruments. Mushrooms will form through
thee openings.
 Mushrooms will begin to form in 3 to 4 days and will be ready for harvesting in
the next 2 to 3 days.
 A temperature range of 20 – 28oC and relative humidity of 80 – 95% is required in
the mushroom house.
 Some measures have to be taken during the process to ensure development of
good mushrooms:
1. To provide adequate moisture, water the substrate daily taking care not to over
water.
2. If temperatures rise to 30oC apply a light water mist to cool and to quicken
fruiting.
3. The door and air vents or windows may be opened especially at night to allow
cool air to enter.
 4. Maintain high relative humidity by applying water on the floors and walls several
times a day.
 Incomplete substrate colonisation delays fruiting. Ensure that the substrate
is well colonised.

Harvesting
Oyster mushrooms are harvested by gently twisting the stalk and pulling out.
 Harvest from the opened ends first.
 Make more long cuts or holes on the central portion of the bag so that more
mushrooms develop
 Continue harvesting as long as the substrate appears white.
 The bags can be removed from the house when the substrate becomes colourless
and soft to touch.
 A total weight of 10 to 20 kg of mushrooms can be harvested from 10 kg of dry
substrate.
 The mushrooms will remain fresh for 3 to 6 days when kept in the refrigerator or
in a cool area. They can also be dried using local methods of sun drying.
Problems in Mushroom Growing
The common problems are:
1. Poor yields
2. Pests and diseases i.e. fungi, bacteria, insects and snails
The best remedy is to prevent these problems by taking precautions in every stage of
production.
1. Obtain high quality spawn from reputable sources
2. Observe strict hygienic practices especially at substrate preparation and spawning
3. Pasteurise the substrate well
4. Sterilise all working instruments and equipment. Jik can be used for this purpose.
5. Keep doors and window closed or use a wire mesh for covering all openings to
prevent insect from entering the mushroom house
6. Keep the floors clean all the time
7. Do not touch any suspicious material during harvesting
8. Throw used substrate a long distance away from the mushroom house.
Hypericum Production/ Flowers
 Hypericum is propagated from cuttings which are cut from saleable stems 40
cm or more in length.
 Cuttings are cut at every internode and should be 5 cm in length with two
nodes.
 Seradix is used to promote rooting and plant cuttings direct into beds.
 The beds should be 1m wide and 4 rows spaced 20 cm apart are marked on
each bed.
Fertilisation
Vegetative stage 1: time from planting to 20cm in height
 Hand application of 800g/30 m bed of the following fertilisers mixed to make a
blend in the ratio of 1:1
 Calcium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, mono ammonium phosphate, mono
potassium phosphate and Ammonium nitrate.
Vegetative stage 2: flower initiation stage
 Apply 1300 g/30 m bed of the fertiliser mixture.
 Supplement with compound J applied every 2 weeks until harvesting at a rate of
600 g/ 30 m bed.
 If rains occur excessively apply weekly
Harvesting

Harvesting can occur 12 weeks from planting in summer and 16 to 18 weeks from
planting in winter.

Monitor the growth rate daily. Hypericum can grow about 1 cm daily in summer.

An average of 40 to 50 stem can be harvested per square metre but its possible to
harvest 80 to 90 stems/m2

Stems should be pencil thick when harvested and the stem length varies from 40,
50, 60, 70 and 80 cm

Harvesting is done when brown berries form on the plant after the flowers fall off.

Harvest for 7 flushes or less. Each flush is 12 weeks long

Leave 6 stems per plant as this ensures maximum production. Remove all weak
stems

After harvesting take flowers to pack shed and spray with water

5 bunches of 5 stems are bunched together and left till water dries off. Flowers are
then packed and cooled to 3 – 4oC

Harvesting is done in the late afternoon then plants are left to stand in water
overnight then grading and packing are done in the morning
Lighting
 20% shade cloth is used to cover the flowers.
 Artificial lights are used and their use can start as early as one week after cutting
back the plants as this promotes faster shooting.
 Recommendations are that lighting should begin when plants are 15 – 20 cm in
length.
  Fluorescent lights are used at a height of 3m above the crop. Flood lights can also
be used.
Diseases
Rust
 This is controlled using Amister at a rate of 50ml/100 litres water, or Folicur at
50ml/100 litres water, or Plantvax at 100 ml/100 litres water
Botrytis
 Controlled by sterilising pruning shears as one moves from plant to plant and by
practicing good hygiene when handling plants
Pests
Thrips – control using Lanet, Oncur or Confidor
White fly
Aphids
Citrus Cultivation
Soils
 Citrus grows well on well-drained sandy soils with clay content of less than 30%.
 Planting should be done on ridges 1 m high and 2.5 m wide and the ridges should
go along the slope and not down the slope.

Irrigation
 A citrus need an all year round water supply and irrigation is essential to
supplement rainfall.
 Watering depends on two things-:
1. Age of the tree
2. Time of year
Age of tree
 The younger the tree the less water it requires.
 As the tree grows the water requirements also increase.
Time of year
 A productive tree of about 10 to 15 years requires up to 120 litres of water per day
during the hot summer season around September/November
 .During the cooler seasons from January to April it needs about 10 litres a day.
Types of irrigation
1. Drip
 Used by commercial producers
2. Hose and Basin
 Used by small scale producers
3. Microjet
 Irrigation should be done every third day to avoid water stress.
Altitude
 Des not tolerate frost, thus it should be grown in frost-free areas.
 Effect of temperature varies with the type of citrus being grown, for example
Naartijies prefer the cool climate of the highveld around Mvurwi and Nyanga.
 Grapefruit and Valencias prefer the hot climate of the lowveld, while Navels
and Lemons prefer the middleveld..
Nursery Practices
 It is recommended that to get the best planting material it should be purchased
from established nurseries.
Land preparation
 Citrus can be grown on slopes. The ridges should be prepared running down the
slope and should be angled slightly so that they act like contours.
Spacing
Citrus Between row spacing In row spacing
Orange 6m 3m
Lemon 7.5 m 4m
Naartijies 4.5 – 5 m 2.5 – 3 m
 Cultivar Selection
Cultivar selection is dependant on:
1. Rootstock
2. Citrus type to be grown (This is also affected by altitude)
Types of rootstocks
Rootstock Advantage Disadvantage
Rough Lemon (Used Rapid tree growth Poor internal fruit quality i.e.
on all citrus varieties) Big fruit size low sugar content
Susceptible to Phytophthora
root rot
Troya (used on all Big fruit size
citrus varieties) Resistant to Phytophthora
Better internal fruit quality than
Rough Lemon
Swingle Good internal fruit quality Low fruit yield
The scion used depends on the altitude.

Planting time
 Citrus trees are planted from September to February when there is active growth.

Method of planting
 Dig a hole 75 cm x 75 cm x 75 cm.
 Mix 400 g Single Super Phosphate (SSP) with the soil per hole.
 When planting leave about 10 cm of the sleeve above ground level to avoid
phytophthora root rot.
 Remove all flowers and fruits produced in the first three years from planting.

Fertilisation
 A tree from 0 to 3 years should get a monthly application of 50 g AN that is
watered in.
 Two weeks later apply a foliage spray of zinc, copper, boron and manganese in
the following proportions;
1. Zinc Oxide 150 g/100 litres water
2. Solubor 100 g/100 litres water
3. Copper oxychloride 150 g/100 litres water

For productive trees one needs to take soil and foliar samples for analysis before applying
fertilisers.
The recommended fertilisers should then be applied from July to January split into equal
amounts.

Weeding
 Use of herbicides is strongly recommended in citrus growing.
 The hoe can be used on young trees because use of herbicides at a young age can
cause stunted growth
  The area covered by the drip line should be kept weed free, and this is a 1.25 m
band on either side of the tree.
 The grass in between the plant rows should be cut short.
 For trees 3 years and above Round up can be used, this is a non-systemic post
emergent herbicide.
 Diuron a pre-emergent herbicide can also be used on trees 3 years and above.

Diseases
Phytophthora root rot
 This is a water born fungal disease that attacks the roots. This disease should be
controlled early.
 Symptoms: The bark starts cracking from the ground level to the canopy.
 Control: Spray using Alleate or Phytex using rates on the container.

Citrus Black spot

 This is a viral disease that is wind borne. There is no tolerance for this disease on
the export market.
Control:
 Spray 2 to 3 prophylactic sprays every year.
 Spray copper oxychloride in September at a rate of 200 g/100 litres water. The
copper also benefits the tree.
 In mid-November or when rains start spray Dithane M45 at a rate of 200 g/100
litres water.
 6 weeks after the November spray, apply Benomyl/Benlate at a rate of 35 g/100
litres water. When spraying add an oil e.g. Orchex at a rate of 100 ml/100 litres
water to ensure a good coverage

Pests
Thrips
 These are a problem from September to December.
 Control using Tartox.
Citrus Psylla
 This pest causes greening disease, where the tree does not produce fruit.
 The pest also causes bumps on the leaves.
 Control using Dimethoate or Thiodan
Red Scale
 The levels of this pest should be controlled as high levels can kill the tree.
 It is controlled by spraying with an oil such as Orchex or Lannate.
Mites (Red, spider, grain, silver, rust, lowveld, flat etc.)
 Mites cause damage by leaving marks on the fruit e.g. the rust mite causes the
fruit to get a red colour which is undesirable.
 Mites also defoliate the tree.
 Mites can be controlled using Nuron, Torque or Tedion (Tetradiofon) at a rate
of 30 ml/100 litres water.
Bollworm
 This pest drills holes onto the fruit
False codling moth
Fruit fly

Harvesting
 Harvesting is done at different times of the year depending on the citrus
variety being grown.
 Lemons are harvested all year round
 Oranges have different varieties that ripen at different times of the year. For
example Navels are harvested from April to May while Valencia’s have
varieties such as Delta that is harvested in June, Midnight is harvested in
June/July and Valencia late harvested in August.
 Naartijies have varieties that ripen at different times of the year.
 Citrus can be stored for 2 to 3 months at a temperature of 4 oC.
Yields
 Mature trees can produce up to 40 to 60 t/ha.
Marketing
There are three ways to market citrus:
 Export – Europe, Russia, Middle East and Canada. To export citrus one needs a
marketing agent such as SAFE, OCEANIC, CAPES BAND.
 Local market
 Juicing
Labour requirements
 Labour requirements are seasonal.
 For harvesting and packing there is a high labour requirement
e.g. 30 people for harvesting
30 – 35 people for packing
1 labourer/3 ha fruit depending on management.
Apiculture
 Apiculture means beekeeping for the benefit of mankind.
 The honeybee subspecies found in Zimbabwe is Apis mellifera scutellata which is
kept for its large quantities of honey.
 Stingless bees also occur but they produce small quantities of honey.
The benefits of beekeeping are: -
i) Honey production
ii) Income generation
iii) Medicinal purposes
iv) Beeswax
v) Pollination of crops
vi) Propolis
vii) Employment creation
viii) Rural afforestation and woodland management programmes

Honeybee colony
A honeybee colony is the whole family of bees with combs and brood living in a hive or
natural nest.
Queen
 This is the mother of all the honeybees in a colony and can live for 3 – 5 years.
 She has a curved sting that she uses against other queens.
 Her abdomen extends beyond the tips of her wings. The younger the queen the more
eggs she should lay. A good queen lays about 2000 eggs/day during the nectar flow.
 The queen emerges from a peanut shaped queen cell
 She maintains harmony in a bee nest or beehive by releasing pheromones that
suppress the development of ovaries in worker bees.
Workers
 Found in large numbers of up to 80 000– 100 000.
 Smallest of the three bee castes
 They are females but they do not lay eggs in the presence of the queen
 They emerge from worker cells
 They defend the nest or hive from intruders
 They collect nectar and pollen
 They feed the brood and the queen with protein rich food.
 Life span is 4 – 6 weeks during the busiest time of the year
 They have barbed straight stings.
 Worker bees have long tongues (proboscis) for collecting deep seated nectar.
Drones
 Their only known function is to mate with young queen bees
 Mating occurs in the air and immediately after mating they die.
 In winter when food is scarce they are driven out of the bee nest by the worker bees.
 Drones have no stings and therefore cannot defend themselves
Traditional beekeeping with the use of bark or log hives
Advantages
 Initial cost is very low
 More beeswax obtained
 Familiar to many people
Disadvantages
 Difficult to control bees
 More wasteful
 Traditionally unacceptable for women in some parts of Zimbabwe as the system
demands climbing up trees when harvesting honey.
 Causes depletion of forests through beekeepers striping bark to make beehives
 Beehives do not last long

Movable Top Bar Hives (Kenya Top Bar Hives)

This is a beehive that is narrower at the bottom and wider at the top
400mm

240-300mm

200mm 860-1000mm

Advantages
 Simple to construct
 High honey yields of up to 80kg/ cropping can be obtained
 Durable
 Easy to control bees
 Good quality honey can be obtained
 High beeswax yields can be obtained
 Only capped honey is cropped
 Combs are interchangeable
Disadvantages
 Cost of timber is high
 Combs can easily break if not carefully lifted
Greek Basket Top Bar Hive
 The walls are plastered with a mixture of two parts cow dung and one part ant
heap soil.
Advantages
Can be made of locally available material such as reeds or straw
 More beeswax obtainable.
 Honeybees can be easily handled
 Only ripe honey can be cropped
Disadvantages
 Combs can easily break if not properly handled
 Brood and honey can be mixed
 Top cover needs replacement very often.

Frame Hives
The most commonly used frame hive is the Langstroth Frame Hive
It consists of boxes with frames stacked one on top of each other
Top cover
Super

Queen excluder
Brood box

Advantages
 High yields of honey can be obtained
 Honey not mixed with brood
 Combs are interchangeable
 Boxes are durable
 Easy to control bees

Disadvantages
 Costly
 Not familiar with beekeepers
 Needs mechanical honey extraction

Site selection
 Vegetation cover should provide forage for the honeybees, shade for the beehives
and protection from prevailing winds.
 There must be a consistent water suppy in or close to the apiary for cooling the
hive and for dilution purposes.
 The site should have minimal danger from veld fires.
 Easy accessibility to the site in all weather by the beekeeper.
 Free from disturbance by animals.
 A place where honeybees do not become a nuisance to the public
 Avoid frost pockets such as vleis to avoid chilling of brood in winter.

Setting beehives
Materials required for setting beehives:
For beehive setting to be successful the following materials are required:
 Propolis for attracting.
  Beeswax for top bar lining.
 Wax foundation sheets or strips for honeybees to draw out combs
 Top bars for placing on top of the beehives
 Frames for the brood or super cambers
 Small tin for melting wax.
 Guiding plank for straightening the wax linings on the top bars
 Bucket of cold water for dipping the guiding plank and holding excess wax
 Firewood for making fire required to melt propolis and beeswax.
Setting Top Bar and Frame Hives
The following steps should are taken when setting both Greek and Kenya Top Bar
hives:-
 Prepare a small fire
 Melt propolis in a container
 Smear melted propolis on the hive entrance and the inside of the hive walls
 Draw a centre line along the entire lengths of at least eight top bars on a Kenya
Top Bar Hive and about four top bars on a Greek Basket Top Bar Hive.
 Melt beeswax in container but do not overheat.
 Submerge the guiding plank in water and hold it against the centre line on the dry
top bar.
 Tilt them with the lower end pointing into the bucket with cold water.
 Pour melted wax so that it flows following the centre line marked on the dry top
bar to form a wax ridge and let the wax lining to cool down.
 Remove the guiding plank and scrap off about 5cm lengths from both ends of the
top bar that will rest on the hive body.
 Place all top bars with wax ridges starting from the front of the Kenya Top Bar
Hive.
 Place the rest of the top bars without wax ridges up to the end of the beehive
 For a Greek Basket Top Bar Hive place top bars with wax rides starting from the
centre and they should be placed at right angles to the hive entrance.

Factors to Be Considered When Mounting Top Bar and Frame Hives

 Place hive at a workable height.
 Hive entrance to face leeward side to prevent draughts.
 Place hive under shade to prevent the hive from direct heat of the sun.
 Top of hive to be covered with a roof top..
 Consider security from enemies of honeybees
Handling honeybees
Steps to follow when manipulating honeybee colonies
 Put on the complete bee tight suit consisting of: -
A zip up overall
Jacket
Hat and veil
Gloves
  Light the smoker and ensure that there is a smooth flow of smoke
 Approach the hive from the back or side.
 Apply 3-4 gentle puffs of smoke into the hive through the entrance.
 Wait for a few minutes to allow honeybees to engorge honey.
 Remove roof top for top bar hives and the top cover for frame hives.
 Start lifting top bar hives using a hive tool. Start from the back for a Kenya Top
Bar hive and from sides for both frame and Greek Basket Top Bar hives.
 Smoke should always be available and apply gentle puffs at regular intervals to
control the temper of honeybees. A beekeeper should be assisted to make the work
easier.
Brood Nest Inspection
 Inspect the brood nest 2- 3 times a year especially during the swarming season
 Inspect the hive in winter as briefly as possible to prevent chilling the brood and
robbing of honey by bees from adjacent beehives
 Push light honeycombs to the empty side
 Take out the darker combs and examine one by one but not exposing them to the
cold wind or sun.
 Look for eggs, larvae and pupae to ensure the presence of the queen bee but brood
can be absent as the queen reduces egg laying at this time of the year.
 Place the top bars back onto the hive in the same order and position to maintain
the structure of the hive or nest.
 Place combs with drone brood cells to the edge of the brood nest on the empty
side of the hive.
 Spare valuable space of the brood nest especially 1-8 combs mainly for new
workers instead of unproductive drones.
 Remove crooked combs, very black ones or combs with large patches of drone
brood from the brood nest.

Cropping
 Take only combs with capped honey. Uncapped honey contains too much
moisture in excess of 17%, which can lead to fermentation of honey soon after
cropping.
 Do not take any combs containing brood.
 In the case of combs from top bars, crop when 75% of a single comb has capped
honey.
 Cut off the capped portion and tie back the portion with brood on the same top
bar.
Grading
 Grading of honey starts at cropping.
 There are four grades of honey based on colour, aroma, flavour and moisture
content.
First Grade
 New wax combs
 Light coloured honey
 No pollen grains
  Acceptable flavour/aroma
 Low moisture content
Second Grade
 New wax combs
 Medium light honey
 Very little pollen
 Few uncapped cells/honey (80% capped)
 Acceptable flavour/aroma
 Low moisture content
Third Grade
 Mostly new combs
 Light brood combs
 Small amount of uncapped cells
 Acceptable flavour
 Low moisture content
Fourth Grade
 Old combs
 Dark honey
 Pollen present
 Doubtful flavour
 Medium moisture

Marketing
 Honey is in comb or liquid form and prices are determined by the grades.
 Marketing is controlled by legislation.
Methods of honey extraction
Floating.
 Break honey combs into small pieces.
 Tie the broken combs in a cheese cloth
 Hang the cheese cloth in a warm room and honey will slowly drip into a clean
bucket placed below.
 Leave the honey to drip overnight.
Centrifuging
Centrifuging is ideal for extracting honey from frame combs
 Uncap the combs using a hot uncapping knife
 Place the uncapped frames in an upright position in a mechanical honey extractor.
 Place settling tank with strainer below the outlet and start centrifuging.
 Honey collects in the settling tank
 Settle honey for at least 10 days to allow air bubbles and impurities to float.
 Scoop out the impurities and honey will be ready for bottling.
Enemies of the honeybee and control
i) Man
Destroys the honeybee and its habitat
Control:
 Education
 Law enforcement
 Keeping honeybee colonies in Bee Houses
i i) Bee wolves (wasps)
The females use the adult bee as food for their larvae. It catches the bee at the hive
entrance.
Control:
 Usually difficult
 Water with a film of paraffin in a dish and placed close to the hive entrance is
used for trapping bee pirates.The bee pirate plunges in water on seeing its
image in the paraffin film.A few honeybees will be lost but the loss can
outweigh the advantages obtained from the elimination of the bee pirates.
iii) Honey Badgers (Mellivora capensis)
 Its skin is loose and so tough that the dog’s teeth cannot penetrate.
 It has strong claws for digging and strong teeth for biting and breaking hives.
 Badgers do not suffer from stings. They overrun hives, break them up and
feed on the brood and honey.
Control:
Trap or hunt to shoot them
Secure the beehives

iv) Wax Moth (Galleria mellonela)

 The larvae of the wax moth feeds on combs Weak colonies are vulnerable to
attack by the wax moth larvae.
 Growing larvae construct silk lined tunnels through the cell walls. Larvae prefer
dark combs because they contain a variety of growth enhancing impurities such
as entrapped pollen and cast larval skin.
 Mature larvae usually spin cocoons in oval depressions that they chew on the
inside of hive bodies, inner cover, lid and on frames. They even make some deep
furrows on top bars and the inside of Kenya Top Bar Hives.
Control
Maintaining strong colonies
Avoid queenlessness of colonies
Put infected combs in freezers for about 48 hours
Carbon dioxide fumigant
v) Large Hive Beetle (Coleoptera)
The beetles interfere with the activities of honeybees as they gather at beehive entrances,
crawl on combs and hive floors. They also feed on wax leaving combs very thin.
Control:
 Control is difficult but honeybees propolise them
 Hand pick and throw them in soapy water.
vi) Ants (Hymenoptera)
 Especially the tropical ants are serious pests
  They steal honey, bee brood or live in the colony where honey bees cannot
remove them.

Control
 Hive stands should have ant guards such as barriers of grease.
 Chemical control can be hazardous but when mixed with water can be applied
around hive stands.
vii) Spiders
 Several kinds of spiders eat honeybees. Others construct a large web to trap
flying insects like honeybees.

Control
 Remove webs from the bee flight areas.
vii) Varroa mites
 They feed on the blood of larvae, pupae and the adult insects
Control
 Contact acaricides are used in the form of strips placed between top bars.
viii) Braula coeca (Bee louse)
 These are wingless flies that attach themselves to the bees’ hairs near the head or
thorax. They feed on nectar and pollen at the bee’s mouth.
 A queen is likely to collect more bee lice than the worker
Control
 Blowing tobacco smoke into the hive can make the flies leave the queen.